The Fall
by CorinneStark
Summary: Sequel to Flight. President Fitzgerald Grant III has searched for Olivia Pope for 2 and a half years. When she resurfaces as the center piece in an international crisis that threatens to topple his presidency, he must figure out who he can trust to help bring Olivia and the child he's never known home.
1. Chapter 1: Harrison

**This is the sequel to Flight. I started Flight during the very long hiatus after episode 15, "Boom Goes the Dynamite." So this whole story takes a divergent path after events of that episode. I tried to stay true to what I thought the characters would do in certain situations. I hope you enjoy this story. **

Chapter 1: Harrison

Harrison stood next to Quinn in front of the landscape of television screens in his office, displaying his usual tick of repeatedly flipping the remote in his hand. All of the screens were on mute except for one, with the remote he swiftly went through the news reports that caught his attention. . . . _CLICK . . ._

". . . who are the two American nationals kidnapped from their home in the city-state of . . ." _CLICK . . . ". . . _if it wasn't true, Grant would have denied it!" _CLICK . . ._ "So who _really _was on that Presidential sex tape? Find out from the man who claims he actually recorded it _two_ _years_ before it came out!" _CLICK . . . _"The White House has refused to comment about the allegations stating that this is a delicate hostage situation and they will not endanger. . ." _CLICK . . . _". . a President _and_ a Senator? We've got the _juicy _details coming up."

_CLICK . . ._ "Honestly? We may be witnessing the fall of the Grant Administration."

_CLICK . . . _Harrison settled for the calming voice of a senior news anchor from CNI. He was old school and did not try to embellish his stories or offer his opinions like most of the media figures did these days. He simply reported the facts as he got them. "The alleged state-sponsored terrorist group claims to be holding, quote 'the American President's Whore and his Daughter.'"

He could feel his anger growing in the pit of his stomach. How dare they call her that? Don't they know who they are dealing with? The news report continued, "Two days ago, Brothers of the Golden Path released a video of the adult American hostage. Facial bruising made it difficult to positively identify the woman at first, but CNI is willing to confirm tonight the woman is former White House Communications Director, Olivia Pope."

_Damn_. Harrison handed the remote to Quinn, walked to his desk chair and slumped in it, trying to process the information. He knew it from almost the very first moment details of the kidnapping broke, but to actually hear them confirm it was Olivia Pope made it very real. And now she was half a world away in very grave danger. No one had seen or heard from Olivia since she took off two and a half years ago under mysterious circumstances. They had helped hide her so well that even when the White House tried to repeatedly intimidate the former Olivia Pope Associates over the years into disclosing her location, they were hard pressed to be able to do it, even if they wanted to. So who on earth could have found her? Much less know that she had some kind of relationship with the President that could have resulted in a child?

Now _that_ blew his mind. Although, truth told, looking back on everything it made sense, and he couldn't believe that he hadn't caught on to it sooner. Sometimes he would have sworn Olivia's reaction to the Amanda Tanner situation was more of a scorned lover than a methodical fixer. And the lengths she went to make Grant president and to protect his secrets . . . now he thought about it, _all _of her interactions with the President seemed deeply personal. When her former colleagues began to put together what they knew or thought they knew about Olivia and President Grant's relationship, Huck remained quite. Finally Harrison turned to him and said, "Huck, just spill it, you knew the whole time, didn't you?" Huck shrugged.

So in the end, Olivia's escape had nothing to do with election rigging and everything to do with the frustrating nature of the human heart. It all came down to a child, a child that might now be lost in a hail of bullets in a foreign land along with her mother. As the hostage crisis deepened, the public began to turn on the President. He was facing some serious damage control, which could affect how this whole situation played out. Some were calling for his resignation or impeachment right then, and where would that leave Olivia? At the mercy of some right-wing nut job who would take pleasure in using her death as an excuse to bomb the hell out of an unfriendly country. Harrison thought about all this as he sat in his office, that use to be hers. He still had some of her framed pictures of her and the President in his office. Even though it had been years since they had seen each other, she was still family and needed help.

Quinn leaned against his desk, arms crossed and kept tapping the remote on her upper arm as she listen to a new report, "When Mellie Grant moved to Texas six months ago with Teddy, Republican Party insiders insisted it was just to establish residency and start her campaign for the open Senate seat in the midterm elections. Those suggestions that the move was fueled by marital problems have now gained more credence. Sources close to the First Lady have said that for years she dismissed the rumors of a supposed relationship between the President and Ms. Pope as vicious gossip. They say that she is shocked to learn that the allegations may have been true and, is quote 'heartbroken over the level of betrayal from both of them.'"

_Ok, that's it._ He grabbed two framed pictures. "Everyone, conference room, now!" Quinn walked behind him, while Huck and Abby came out from their offices to join them. When Olivia left, the four main principles had all invested some of the money they got from their last case back into the business and hired two more associates. Two other stray dogs, talented in their fields, who needed fixing and would eventually fill a little of the Olivia Pope sized hole that she left behind. Lauren and Josh were already at the table. Harrison took out one of the pictures out of its frame, grabbed some tape and slapped it on the window. "We have a new client, people. Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III."

He could see Abby's mouth already starting to twist and she was about to say something, so he turned to the young woman seated at the table, "Lauren, I'm going to need you to get on the phone to the White House and tell the President that all of our resources and knowledge are fully available and we expect him to take advantage of them." Lauren Tsang was in her late 20s, but had already been Communications Director for two Congressional and one Senatorial campaign. She looked a little flustered. "OK, but the only people I know in the White House are strictly lower level management; I don't know how we will reach the President."

"Well, start with the lower level, work your way up, and make it happen! Move!" Lauren bounced up from the table and scrambled back to her office. "Josh, find out some good dirt on those Congressmen who have appeared on all the news shows calling for Grant's impeachment." Josh Roblan had worked as a staffer on the Hill for years and knew where all the bodies were buried. "I'm on it," he said without hesitation.

"Huck and Quinn, let's see what we can find out about who the hell knew about Olivia and her kid. It has to be traced back somehow to someone here in Washington."

Finally, "Abby, let's pull the file on Twinkle Toes and anything else we can dig up on Mellie Grant." _Here it comes in three . . . two . . . one . . ._

"So, we're not even going to talk about this?" Abby asked, incredulously. "We're helping this man out, _again?_ This is his entire fault! She stole an election for him! He knocked Olivia up and she ran half way around the world to get away from the guy. He's been an obsessive ghoul, having his agents come around here looking for her for years! And we are really going to try and salvage this guy's reputation?"

Harrison spoke quietly, "Look, Abby, I don't know what the deal was with their relationship. I don't know who broke whose heart, and I don't care. All I do know is that some jackasses are trying to use Olivia and her child to bring Grant down." He took out the other picture from the frame and placed it on the wall next to Grant's picture. Olivia had on one of her signature white suits on. She was smiling and looked content. "We are going to help this man, because he's _her_ best hope. We are going to salvage his reputation so he can do his job and manage this crisis. We're handling this so the President of the United States can save Olivia Pope."


	2. Chapter 2: Fitz

**Thanks for reading everyone! The main countries I refer to in the hostage situation do not exist in real life. I figure I'd do it like they do in the TV show and make up names instead of getting facts wrong and offending people. **

Chapter 2: Fitz

Fitz absently stroked the ears of the young golden retriever who patiently sat next to his desk. It helped to calm the fury. He had gotten Buckley shortly after Mellie and Teddy took off for Texas. Mellie would never allow a dog before, even if it was good publicity. They say that if you wanted a friend in Washington, you got a dog, and he could sure use a friend right now. After he found out about Defiance, Fitz kept thinking that things could not get any worse, and then inevitably, they did. It surprised him that he could function at all at this point. But here he was, dressed, sitting at his desk in the Oval Office, no drink in his hand, reading the latest reports on the "hostage situation," and facing the distinct possibility that the love of his life and a child he didn't know he had were about to be murdered in his name.

Fitz tried to understand how it all came down like this. For nearly a year, he tried to harden his heart against Olivia Pope and told himself she was no different than all the other snakes that surrounded him. His heart fought against his head valiantly, reminding him of her gentle smile, a funny joke, a secret moment shared in the back of a campaign bus. But his head won out, advising him that she participated in making him a fraud just for her own gain. His heart calcified, and he became a bitter and angry man. He had her watched, telling himself he was doing it because he needed to know what kind of person throws an election. Truth told, he also wanted to know if she hurt just as much as he did or if she had moved on. The only light he had during that time was Teddy, who, although he was conceived with an agenda, had none of his own, and didn't know yet that the world was full of monsters. And now, even Teddy was gone.

All the emotions that he had been denying for months threatened to overcome him when he finally saw Olivia at their Goddaughter's baptism. He became furious when he realized she was going to leave the White House without as much as hello, much less an apology. After he stalked her down the hallway, yanked her into the nearest closet and claimed her mouth, she slapped him. He then waited, and watched for her next move. When she reached out to claim _her_ kiss, he thanked God. He needed to feel himself inside of her again, to believe that what they shared wasn't all lies. As soon as they found their release together, all the doubt he had been feeling for the past ten months came flooding back. What a fool he was, he reminded himself that she didn't care and he certainly wouldn't either, that this was just a physical response. He told her as much then, noting the hurt look in her eyes. And now he was pretty convinced that this was just after their daughter was conceived. _God, what kind of monster am I?_

At Camp David, she asked for his forgiveness for Defiance. She asked him to take her off the damn pedestal and to love her for who she was. It was all so tempting, to forget his anger and the betrayal and to just accept her and figure out how to be happy. But when she asked him for his trust, he balked. He hadn't told anyone about the darkest thing that had come out of this whole Defiance mess, that in his grief, anger and cold calculation, he had physically took the life of another. Granted, Verna Thorton had tried to kill him twice, wanted to take down the Republic along with his legacy and would probably have gotten everyone thrown in jail had she lived another moment longer. Still, he had blood on his hands, and that changed him. He couldn't trust Olivia enough at that point to tell her what he had done. So out of his own cowardice, he rejected her plea for forgiveness, love and trust, and with that, he watched the best thing in his life walk out the door.

After taking time to process everything that was said at Camp David, Fitz started to think maybe he could put his faith in her after all and let go of his dark secret. He started to remember all the wonderful things that made up Olivia Pope; her toughness, her vulnerability, and the love that she made him feel. Love did allow for forgiveness, even for some of the darkest acts. Maybe if he could forgive her, she could forgive him too. During the two months after he saw Liv, he had almost tricked himself into thinking that they already accepted each other's apologies and were on their way back together. When he finally found the courage to meet with her again, it was too late, she was gone.

Fitz never stopped looking for Olivia and he used the resources available to him without shame. But they kept on running into dead ends. She had obviously established an alias. She had enough money to cover her tracks and probably lived in a country where the U.S. government did not have easy access. Just to avoid him. He knew that he probably should take the hint, but he just needed to see her and tell her he was sorry. If he could just do that, he thought things would be different. They belonged together, she must know that.

His people kept going back to her former employees, thinking that they knew more than they were saying. It became a routine, every couple of months Tom would slap a report down, and the information would read the same as before, with maybe more snarky comments from one of her employees named Abby. He was tempted to have them all indefinitely detained until they started talking, but he knew that if he was trying to win her back, hurting people she loved probably wouldn't help.

Back in the early days, when he still had hope that he would find Liv quickly, he finally had an honest conversation with Mellie. He told her that he wanted to find a way out of this marriage, but would also like to run for re-election. He asked her what she really wanted. "What do I want? I'd like for my husband to have shown me half of the love and respect that he's shown his mistress!" _God, why couldn't she just be honest? _He knew that she had never loved him like that, that this was almost an automated response of what she thought she was supposed to say.

Fitz's voice grew hard, "Well, you're never going to get it. So, anything else?" She started ticking off all of their property, thinking he would balk. He kept nodding in assent.

"Forget it, Fitz! I helped get you in the White House, and I'm not going to leave it! We are in it for the whole thing, babe."

"Mellie, we won't be here forever. This gig has a shelf-life. I can either help you establish what you really want now, or this war is going to get even colder." His voice grew very soft, "I will make your life very hard, that's a promise." Then he smiled, and almost cheerfully added, "So here's your chance. Just get off the coat tails _babe,_ and tell me what you want. I'll give it to you, just promise to let me get a divorce drama-free when the time comes."

Senator it was.

Fitz, Mellie and the chairman of the RNC sat down for a meeting and went over all the safe Republican Senate seats. Mellie decided she'd really like a Texas seat since that might be the perfect place to start a Presidential run in terms of donors and electoral votes. Sold! He would strong arm the senior Texas Senator to retire and help her with donors and she'd move to Texas by the end of the first year of his second term to run in the midterms. Teddy would go with her and Karen and Jerry would either come home to the White House or go to Texas alternatively when they were not in boarding school. They would keep up appearances for awhile until they could get a divorce with minimal damage to her campaign and his presidency.

The re-election campaign was fairly easy in terms of votes, which didn't even need to be stolen this time. He won by a landslide. However, the campaign trail itself was filled with constant reminders of Olivia. Campaign buses and pancake breakfasts, rallies, and lonely hotels. Some of the greatest moments of happiness in his entire life were found in those hotel rooms during the first campaign.

He couldn't believe his good fortune the first time Liv walked purposely towards his hotel room. As soon as he closed the door, he lifted her off the ground and kissed her deeply. It was a first kiss, but it felt like he was returning to a place he had always known, where he was meant to be. He never felt more connected to another human being in his life until the first night he made love to Olivia Pope. She was the most beautiful person he had ever seen, her skin as soft as satin and her large expressive eyes hooded with desire were all his that night. And she was his as much as possible on the trail; in her room or his, a quick turn in a stairway or a closet, it was hard not to touch her. The second time he was on the trail, he had no idea where Liv actually was in this world. Despite being surrounded by people, he felt incredibly alone without Olivia.

In spite of all the years he looked for her, Fitz had no warning when Olivia Pope finally reappeared in his life. The rest of the world found out her fate the same time he did. He was meeting with the Secretary of Agriculture going over the farm bill, when one of his aids interrupted them and said that there was a hostage situation developing that he must attend to immediately. The aid looked very flustered and wouldn't look him in the eye. Fitz and the Secretary went to the nearest television and saw something that was culled from his deepest nightmares.

There was his Livvie, battered and bruised and almost unrecognizable, a harsh light shining on her so there would be no doubt of her identity. She was seated in a chair in a small room, her hands tied behind her back. She sat straight up, like she wouldn't give her captors the pleasure of cowering.

Olivia and her daughter were kidnapped from their home in the United Arabic Provinces and taken to an undisclosed location, but likely in the neighboring country of Omarain. Her captors called themselves the Brothers of the Golden Path and claimed that they were a militia group working for the greater glory of the Omarain people. They claimed that the United States was deliberately trying to destroy the legitimate government of Omarain by infiltrating the country with CIA operatives, and supporting the Godless rebel groups fighting a civil war in the country. The Brothers demanded the immediate release of pro-government militia leader General Maktub Al Qasimi and seven other people named as the top captures on a terrorist watch list. They claimed that the dogs of America were destroying the world with their cultural depravity and unabashed imperialism.

"No greater example is their President, the devil Fitzgerald Grant, a man who knows no honor. We have captured President Grant's Whore and we have the product of their lust as well." At that point, the image of a little girl, about two years old, appeared on screen. She was seated in the middle of a room alone, crying loudly with no one to comfort her. "If our demands are not met, we will execute the American President's Whore and his Daughter."

Fitz felt all the blood drain from his face. _Olivia. They hurt his Livvie. They called the love of his life a whore. They had Olivia and they were going to kill her. And, he had a child? _He could hardly process all this information, feeling a blinding sense of rage growing within him. He wanted to find these sons of bitches and literally rip their throats out with his bare hands. If they harmed another hair on her body, he would make sure that they were captured alive and spend all the rest of their miserable lives in a CIA black site being tortured. He was going to bomb them so far back that it would take a thousand years for life to return.

"Cyrus," he yelled. He wasn't even sure where he came from but he saw Cyrus running down the hallway to meet him, his face pale and shocked. "I want the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Secretary of Defense, the NSA, the CIA and the Secretary of State in my office now. I want you to find out who got this footage and how and if it can be authenticated. I want to know everything about this group."

"Sir, I just . . ."

"Do it! Now!" That was two days ago. During that time, Fitz didn't sleep, spending most of his time in the Situation Room or his office getting endless briefings on what was happening. And although all the wheels were spinning in the office of the most powerful person in the world, he felt completely helpless.

Through those maddening years of searching for Olivia, he would ask God for just one more chance to talk to her again. Now, he prayed to just please keep her alive. He would never see her again if God could just promise not to harm her or the child he never knew. _Please God, just let her live._


	3. Chapter 3: Cyrus

Chapter 3: Cyrus

"We've been in contact with local rebel leaders, they are searching for. . . uh . . . the hostages . . .location." Cyrus wasn't quite sure what to call Liv and her daughter now in front of the other members of the Cabinet. It was the elephant in the room that no one would address. The White House had not yet issued any comment on the kidnappers' allegations that Olivia Pope was the President's mistress and that they had a daughter together, not wanting the captors to get an upper hand in any kind negotiations. All the official communications would say is that this was a delicate hostage situation and they would not comment on any allegations. They condemned the hostage takers and demanded for the immediate release of two American citizens. Everyone sitting around the couches in the Oval Office had probably many whispered conversations about the very personal nature of the hostage situation, but none of them except Cyrus would have dared say anything to the President about it.

He continued, "The rebels are expecting some weapons and other supplies in exchange. I've got the Omarain Ambassador calling me every five minutes insisting that his government had nothing to do with the kidnapping." Cyrus observed Fitz carefully. He leaned forward in his chair, listening to every word. His lips formed a thin line and his jaw was clinched. One of his hands was balled up in a fist while the other one clasped it like he was contemplating who he was going to punch out.

Fitz was keeping it together, but Cyrus could tell he was going to explode any minute if provoked. "The Premier of the United Arabic Provinces has issued a statement that they consider the breach of their boarders, the killing of four of their citizens and the kidnapping of two American guests in their country to be quote, 'an extreme act of unprovoked violence' on the part of the Omarain government and it looks like they are moving troops to the boarders."

At this point, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Alan Michaels spoke "We've been hearing from backchannels that the United Arabic Provinces wants to talk about combining military forces and striking Omarain's oil fields."

"And then what would happen with the hostages?" This was the first time Fitz spoke. _Careful, Alan_, Cyrus thought. Alan grew red faced, "Well, this is assuming when . . ."

"When the hostages are already dead," Fitz roared. "Well, they are not dead yet, are they?" His outburst stunned everyone. At this point, Cyrus stood up, thanked everyone and then asked them to clear out. When the crowd left, Cyrus sat back down on the couch and didn't say anything. He wasn't going to scold Fitz and tell him not to overreact. How could he? Cyrus was also walking around in a perpetual state of rage and grief. Fitz stood up and started to pace, his face getting redder, a vain on his neck looked like it could burst.

"How the hell did _they _find them, Cy? I've been looking for her for two and a half years! Who told them about our relationship? How did they know about the child? _I_ had no idea!"

"Are you sure . . ."

"We had sex two years and nine months ago and she skipped the country three months later without a trace, so you do the math." Cyrus thought of the grainy image of the toddler screaming her head off, tears streaming from her big eyes that looked like her mother's, except they were blue. He shuddered. "They targeted her, Cy. They looked for Olivia, found her, kidnap her and killed her security. Someone here had to have told them about us. Someone who knew she was pregnant when she left."

Fitz stopped pacing, "Cy, I want her former employees rounded up. I want the screws tightened on them; I don't care how it is done. Bribe them, waterboard them, threaten their families. I want to know everything they know." The look in Fitz's eyes was truly frightening, like he could have taken these matters into his own hands.

"Well, I guess we are in luck, they called us offering their services and said that they would be willing to share any information they have on Olivia. And hey, we didn't even have to ask nicely." Fitz looked relieved at this, "Bring them in, now."


	4. Chapter 4: Olivia

Chapter 4: Olivia

She didn't remember where she was at first.

_Dark. So very dark in here. Has there ever been light?_

She could barely breathe in this space, the air was hot and there was little circulation. Her hair was matted with old sweat and dust. She wanted to reach for her hair to push it out of the way, but found her arms were tied behind her back. She tried to lick her lips, but had no saliva. When she opened up her mouth she nearly choked as the air seemed to suck up any remaining moisture in her throat. She tried to relax and to remember where she was or who she was, for that matter.

_Maya!_ Where was she? She tried to scream her daughter's name, but that just brought another round of choking. So she whispered her name, again and again.

The two of them were in their backyard playing with their boxer, Max, when she heard gunfire and a scream from their housekeeper, then silence. She grabbed Maya, not quite sure which direction to run. One of her body guards ran towards her and told her to follow him right before he was shot in the head. Maya wailed her head off as the dog barked furiously. Olivia started running for one of the back gates. She heard the dog whimper as it was shot and then, "don't move."

Olivia stopped. "Turn around." She complied. The gunman had a mask on to obscure his face. She tried to make herself calm, to put on her do-not-fuck-with-me face and said, "Look, I don't know why you are here, but I can guarantee you I can pay you more than whatever you're getting paid now. Why don't you get that gun out of my face, and we can talk." Two other masked gunmen joined the other.

"No, you don't have enough money. You and your daughter are worth a war, Ms. Pope." And with that, the intruders rushed her and pried Maya from her hands. She struggled fiercely until they hit her in the face with the butt of a riffle, knocking her unconscious.

She woke up to a harsh blinding light. She could barely feel her face and she wondered how bad the damage was. There was a video camera in front of her and one of her captors was speaking in Arabic. The strange thing was, the gunmen who kidnapped her spoke English and with American accents. She felt like she was playing a part in a staged act. The hostage takers talked about releasing high level Omarain militia leaders in exchange for the lives of "The American President's Whore and his Daughter."

She wanted to cry out for Maya. She wanted to plead to the cameras and beg Fitz to find their daughter. But she knew her captors hoped for that, so she remained silent, not giving them any satisfaction. She was certain that Maya was still alive, she was valuable to them. She was a child of the President of the United States. She was a little less certain about her own standing. How much worth was a mistress to them? Maybe she was more valuable as a shocking death.

How did they find out about her? For the past two and a half years, Olivia had done everything she could to disappear and live a quite life in one of the richest cities on earth. Yadub had become a tourist destination in recent years, a liberal oasis in a very conservative area of the world, where business and pleasure often went hand and hand. Reading the local gossip columns made her itch to go find a white suit and start lending advise to some of the hapless business executives here who got caught in a mistake. But she didn't act on that temptation, content to just be Maya's momma for the time being. No one here knew her real name or her life hobnobbing with the elite of Washington, or that she had once had a long-standing affair with the President of the United States, until now.

She thought she was so careful, what happened? Every aspect of her life was built around her daughter's safety, and it had been completely shattered in an instant.

_Maya . . . Maya . . . Maya . . . Where are you? _

She just wanted to feel her daughter in her arms again and know that she was safe. Maya's birth was a difficult one. It was a long labor, over twenty-four hours. She had two shifts of nurses acting as her coach, but there was only one person she wanted by her side, and that could never be. She was so exhausted by the end, she was openly weeping. Everything reminded her of Fitz and he felt so far away and she never felt so alone. She thought of Mellie, and a wave of jealousy overcame her, he was always there for each one of the births of their children. Of course, that wasn't fair, since Fitz had no idea he was about to become a father for the fourth time, but rationality had left her twelve hours before.

When they placed Maya in her arms, she couldn't believe she was finally there and that she was hers. Maya had skinny, wrinkly old lady legs, a scrunched up face and looked almost ash gray when she was born. Olivia thought all babies came out plump, smooth and a golden-shade of brown, but it took Maya a few weeks to reach that status. She had huge eyes like her mother, except they were blue. Olivia wondered if they would stay that color since she was still a newborn. Sure enough, they did.

It took awhile to get use to the whole Mom thing. Her baby was such a source of confusion, but also wonder. Olivia was learning about the world again through new eyes. There were so many things that she wished she could have shared with Fitz; Maya's surprised look the first time she rolled over by herself, her first tooth poking out of slobbering gums, Maya's delighted squeals as she played with her dog and the draining nights when Maya cried for hours and Liv had no idea why. But Olivia had made the decision to do this on her own, to change her name and run away across the world so Fitz couldn't find her. At the time, it made perfect sense. He rejected her so soundly that night at Camp David before she found out about the baby. She wanted to keep her baby but knew that it would be impossible staying there with all the potential media scrutiny, and she wouldn't have Fitz jeopardize his Administration out of a misplaced sense of obligation.

She often wondered if it was the right call and if she wasn't being selfish denying him the right to know Maya. He would love their child, this she knew, even if he might not love her anymore. But the media would be cruel, and she wouldn't subject their daughter to that. And frankly, having to go through a media firestorm without really being with him would hurt too much, so in that sense she was being selfish, and she was fine with that.

She missed him though. She would have whole conversations with him in her mind about Maya's latest miracles. When a news report came on TV showing footage of him, she stopped in her tracks just to soak him in. If he did something that didn't look right in terms of public relations, she'd scold him in her mind and would tell him what he needed to do to fix it. Sometimes, even though he would be smiling for the cameras she could tell something was bothering him. He didn't look happy.

Olivia had watched the results of Fitz's re-election when she was up all night with their colicky baby. It was seven am in the morning her time when they called it for him. She felt proud of him, even though she had nothing to do with his victory. Mellie's move to Texas to start a Senate campaign truly shocked Olivia. The White House and Republican strategists insisted that this was so she could focus on her campaign, but she wondered if that was just spin. She was very tempted at that time to try and get in contact with Fitz, but what would be the point of that? She didn't want to be the old mistress getting excited that her boyfriend and his wife may have finally split. How pathetic was that? Besides, that didn't really change anything between them. She was still the woman who betrayed his trust by stealing an election. Over the years, she tried to convince herself that this was just a sad tale of an affair that went wrong instead of the loss of the other half of her soul.

Here, in the dark, she knew that was a lie and she wasn't going to lie to herself now.

She couldn't hide from some truths. They were meant to be part of each other's lives. It was almost like she could feel a thin wall separating their souls. She could place her hands on it and feel him through it, his body, his every thought and his every emotion, and he could feel hers as well. If one of them should be ripped away, the wall would fall and there would be nothing left of either of them.

Here in the dark all she had were her thoughts. She didn't want to die in some hot hell hole, never to see her daughter again. Never to see Fitz again, because despite everything, somehow she thought they could find each other. Please God, don't let it end like this. Not for Maya at least. She's so tiny and must be so afraid. Please spare her, please.

He called her the love of his life, and she remembered feeling frightened by that at the time. Then at times she felt empowered by his declaration. And while many things had passed between them, she hoped that if he remembered just a little bit of that love he would do everything possible to find their daughter.

She thought as she drifted back into oblivion, _Fitz, find her, please find her now. _


	5. Chapter 5: Fitz

Chapter 5: Fitz

Fitz remembered he met most of Liv's associates briefly during the first campaign nearly six years ago when she brought them in for opposition research. None of them really left an impression at the time, except the crazy homeless man with the birds' nest for hair. He looked dramatically different now with a buzz cut and a clean shirt. The red head didn't look so pleased with Fitz; he could feel waves of judgment just rolling off her. He met her disdainful look with one of his own; _do you think I give a damn of what you think of me?_ He stared at "Quinn" for a bit thinking, _that's the woman whose boyfriend was killed to cover up my election._ That was the poor woman that Olivia rescued from being prosecuted for a crime that was done in the name of keeping Fitzgerald Grant III in office. He wanted to tell her he was sorry, but thought it best to let sleeping dogs lie. Harrison Wright, the lead of the crisis management firm seemed like a sharp young man with an effortless charm and good looks to match. Fitz felt a slight twinge of jealousy thinking about how much time Liv and Harrison must have spent together.

They all had that same awed look that every first time visitor to the White House gets, but there also was an undercurrent of unease. They had information on a person Fitz desperately wanted to see again and had stubbornly refused to give up that information, until now. But now everyone seemed to have a kumbaya moment for Olivia Pope. They met in one of the Conference Rooms, there was no way Fitz would allow them in the Oval Office after all the trouble they caused him over the years. Liv's former colleagues turned over all the information they had on how they established Olivia's new identity for the NSA review.

"Who did Olivia tell about the baby?" Fitz asked bluntly. This question seemed to make everyone uncomfortable; the President was asking them what they knew about his love life. Fitz had no time for niceties.

Harrison Wright cleared his throat and spoke up, "No one. She didn't tell anyone as far as we knew. Look, we didn't even know about the affair."

Fitz's furrowed his brows skeptically, "No one?" Harrison looked to Huck, who remained silent. Fitz then asked, "Could you speak up? I couldn't quite hear you."

Huck said quietly, "I knew. She didn't talk about it, but I knew. No one would have done all of the stuff she did for you if they didn't love you like crazy." _You made us love you . . . We would do anything for you._ Fitz wondered if he would ever stop hearing Verna's haunting condemnation.

Huck continued, "We've been trying to figure out how anyone knew about the baby and made the connection to you. I only knew because she got sick the morning we found cameras in her apartment," Here, Huck looked Fitz directly in the eye and his voice grew a little harder, "You know, the ones you ordered to put there. I kept on checking for bugs in the morning, and she kept throwing up. I also disposed of her trash so more of your spies wouldn't be snooping. I found some pregnancy tests and then destroyed them."

"Quinn and I think that there was another person who was monitoring Olivia activities who we didn't know about. Someone who might have seen her go into a doctor's appointment. We think we've narrowed down the aliases she probably used for appointments and have started hacking into the scheduling systems of all the ob-gyns in the greater DC area. If we could figure out what doctor she saw, we may be able to track her tracker." Huck laid out what he would need in order to find this, "We could probably use some of your scary, constitutionally ambiguous counter-terrorism spying stuff at this point."

"Consider my scary, constitutionally ambiguous counter-terrorism spying stuff to use at your convenience," Fitz said. "I'll have my NSA guys give you access to it."

Harrison jumped in, "Look, we know you are experiencing a media firestorm right now, and if you haven't noticed, we are pretty good at getting people through stuff like that. We've already started working some stories out there, and we will continue to do that. So if there is anything you'd like us to do, tell us. We just want to bring our girl home."

Fitz never considered Olivia's work life after she left the White House. Never really took an interest in her colleagues or clients unless they directly interfered with something his Administration was trying to accomplish. This was the closest thing to family she had left here. They were paid colleagues, but he'd read their files, they would go to the absolute ends of the earth for her. Fitz's voice caught in his throat as he said, "Thank you." He averted his eyes to get a handle on his emotions.

Just then, Cyrus popped his head in the room and said, "Sir there's been a development, we need you down in the Situation Room, now!" Fitz flew out of the conference room walking with a quick pace next to Cyrus. "Talk to me, Cy."

"The rebel leaders were given information on a location where Liv and the baby might be. We have a SEAL team on standby." Fitz tried not to get his hopes up; they had been down this path before. But his heart was racing, thinking that this might be the moment. This might be the moment he would get her back, safe and sound. This might be the moment where he would see their daughter for the first time. _Please God, make this happen. _Once he entered the Situation Room, he asked "So, what do we know?"

"We are pretty confident with the intelligence on the ground, sir," said Alan Michaels, of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "We have had a couple of our operatives confirm the hostage location. The problem is they don't think both of them are there. We don't know if it is Olivia Pope or her child that is at that location. It looks like they are planning to move the hostage very soon. If we don't act now, we will probably lose them."

"But if we do go in there, what happens to the other hostage?" Fitz usually didn't find it particularly hard to make difficult decisions once he had all available facts. But he didn't have all the information, and this wasn't some random soldier or citizen. This was his blood. This was a part of his soul.

"We can't say for sure, sir. There is a possibility that the other hostage will be killed." The image of the CIA spy who was beheaded on video during his first term ran through his head. Would he soon witness the same fate for Olivia or his two-year old daughter? He felt like the ground might be giving away under his feet.

"Why can't we track them," Fitz asked. "Maybe they'll go back to where the other one is located."

"Sir, the situation is very fluid," Alan said. "If we let them go, we will likely lose them. I've talked to the people out in the field; I've seen the operational data. I'm telling you, the best chance we have of rescuing this hostage is going in right now."

"Then do it." _God, help me. _


	6. Chapter 6: Cyrus

Chapter 6: Cyrus

Cyrus pressed his earpiece closer to his head as he tried to hear what the woman on his mobile screen was saying. The reporter stood outside the airfield, holding back part of her hair that occasionally escaped and whipped in her face as she spoke into her microphone. "Reed, while there has been no official comment, White House sources say that the President is coming to Andrews Air Force base to personally greet the freed hostage. No media is being allowed to cover the hostage's arrival inside the base. Our sources in Yadub say the child's name is Maya Fincher. "Carolyn Fincher" was the alias that Olivia Pope used when she lived in Yadub. Since the hostage raid yesterday, there has been no word on the status of Ms. Pope."

_Ms. Pope, what in the world did you get yourself into?_ Everything in the past week seemed like it should be viewed through a prism of a fun-house mirror. Ms. Olivia Pope, the fixer of scandals, played the starring role of scandal so large it would be written in history books, always associated with the Administration of President Fitzgerald Grant III. For the thousandth time, he wondered how on Earth he could have missed the fact that his best student and his flyboy candidate were having a torrid affair on the campaign trail. Probably because he was busy with his own topsy-turvy relationship at that time. If he had known, he would have done everything he could to break them up. Split up their schedule and send her to the other side of the country as they campaigned. Although, somehow, he didn't think he would have been successful in keeping them apart for long.

When he finally had his eyes opened, it made him feel uncomfortable seeing how lost they became around each other. Even though he loved James more than any other person on Earth, Cyrus Beene was an exceedingly practical man. He always weighed the costs and the benefits of every decision he made, even when it came to matters of the heart. The one time he let his heart rule his head, it actually worked out in his favor. He had stopped the assassin Charlie from murdering his husband because he loved him. After that incident, Cyrus didn't have his own personal assassin on speed dial anymore because Charlie got so disgusted by his indecision he refused to work with him anymore. The fact that Cyrus placed his love for his husband above his own power, job and freedom still surprisingly pleased him. Maybe he could be redeemed after all. Not that he was looking for redemption anyway.

Cyrus sat in the helicopter across from Fitz. Fitz rested his arms on his knees and had his hands clasped in front of him. He stared at a point on the floor of the helicopter, not saying a word for the whole flight to Andrews Air Force base. Cyrus had been through the highs and lows with Fitz. Cyrus had seen him pretty low a number of times during his presidency, but he truly had never seen Fitz this despondent. He was doing his best to make sure that the press never saw it either because the grief on the President's face might shake markets. The possibility of Olivia's death seemed to be growing ever more distinct, particularly since the successful rescue of Maya. _Olivia, don't you dare die on him. _ When the SEAL team rescued Maya, there was no sign of Olivia. Most of the captors on that site had been killed, one had been captured alive, but took a cyanide pill before he could be questioned.

Marine One touched down on the field and both Cyrus and the President exited it. The military transport aircraft carrying the little girl would arrive in a few more minutes. A few aids from the Joint Chiefs and the Secretary of State were on the ground to go over some of the political turmoil happening in the region as a result of the kidnapping. Cyrus now thought he should have told them to stay away. They started to talk to the President, but he obviously wasn't listening to them as he watched the plane touching down on the runway.

Once it came to a full stop, the cargo doors opened and after a few minutes out walked a marine medic holding a quite toddler on her hip. Fitz slowly walked out to meet them. As he did, the marine stopped and got on one knee and had the child stand next to her. She smiled, pointed to Fitz and whispered something in the child's ear. When he reached them, Fitz hesitated for a moment and then dropped to one knee as well. He gently placed his hand on the little girl's head, then wrapped her in his arms and held her tight. His brows crumpled together and it looked like he was silently crying as he kissed the top of her head.

Cyrus felt his heart drop watching this intensely private moment. He shouldn't be watching this. He looked around at all the aids who were as dumbfounded as him. _They_ shouldn't be watching this. "OK people, that's enough gawking." They all tried to look busy reading reports or starting conversations with each other. Cyrus thought he even heard some sniffling.

After a few minutes, Fitz stood up, still holding the child and walked towards Marine One. Cyrus hurried after him, "Uh, sir. I told you I made arrangements for a second cousin of Olivia's to take the child for awhile until everything settles down."

"No," Fitz said decisively. "She's staying with me." Cyrus knew not to argue the subject. Fitz shifted the child; she grabbed his jacket stuck a fistful of it in her mouth along with her fingers, her cheek pressed against his chest. "OK, but we'll need someone to watch her while you are working." Teddy's nanny went with him to Texas. "I don't trust anybody else to watch her, Cy."

Cyrus had a plan, "Why don't we get James to come in and watch her for a few days. He's great with kids and you know him."

"Yeah, and he's also a reporter, Cyrus," Fitz said skeptically. "You see where I might have a problem with that?"

"James isn't a reporter anymore. He's just a stay-at-home Dad." And here, surprisingly was the first time Cyrus ever mentioned anything about Defiance to Fitz, "And he lied under oath to protect your Presidency and keep me out of jail, so you've got that too." Fitz gave him a hard look and then nodded in assent. "You do realize the press is going to have a field day with this, don't you?" Fitz didn't respond as he quickly boarded the helicopter holding the silent child, who looked wide eyed at everything, but clung to her father.


	7. Chapter 7: Harrison

**Happy Scandal Thursday, everyone! We finally get a new episode tonight! So I'm posting early, because I suspect everyone's going to watch the new episode and discuss the hell out. Well, I guess I can thank the hiatus for making me want to write. **

Chapter 7: Harrison

" . . . I mean the _nerve_ of this guy! He has this little girl staying at the _family_ residence at White House without as much as a comment. Think of how much that must hurt the First Lady!" The head of the Families for Fidelity looked like she was going to pop a blood vessel. A liberal talking head who usually railed against all the evils of the Grant Administration, cut in, "She's staying at the family residence because obviously _she's family_. Look, I'm not a fan of the guy, but I don't think it's any of our business where this poor child, who has been through a horrific ordeal and who has been violently separated from her mother, is staying. The real question is whether Grant is going to continue with his war-mongering ways and take the United Arabic Provinces' offer and plunge this nation into another war for big oil." Harrison muted the TV for the moment, not being able to stand the moralizing from all sides any longer.

Harrison was having a "what would Olivia do?" moment. Everyone at Harrison Wright and Associates had their hands full working on the hostage fallout. It wasn't looking pretty. Grant's own party was viciously turning on him, deeply hurt that their all American Apple Pie family was only an illusion. For months, no years, people speculated about the true nature of the Grant marriage, but the President's spinners, including one Olivia Pope always made the party faithful believe that their idolized family was a reflection of the morality of their party. To realize that things were not as they seemed broke a lot of people's heart. But more importantly, it made them angry. And even though Grant's party controlled the House, there was serious talk from the Tea Party wing of impeaching Grant over this.

Harrison thought that if the President were Olivia's client, she'd probably advise him do an interview and come clean about the affair as the best PR move. From a domestic standpoint, Grant not saying anything about the allegations looked weak. However from an international standpoint, admitting that the hostage takers had his lover gave her captors an upper hand. So, he was damned if he did or damned if he didn't. _Sorry Liv, got to go with the option most likely to keep you alive right now._

He and the new associates were working every contact they had from the Washington Post to the House Judiciary Committee to stay on top of the crisis and mute talks about impeachment. Meanwhile, Abby, Quinn and Huck were all working to find the _additional_ tracker who was following Olivia before she left. Finding that person might lead to information about who was holding her.

"So Huck, what you got?" Huck's cubbyhole had been extended out into the hallway with all the extra servers and equipment he got courtesy of President Grant's scary, constitutionally ambiguous counter-terrorism spying program. "This stuff, wow, they were holding back on Thorngate. It actually backs up all networked security footage, and it goes back for years." Harrison believed that in average hands, this spying program would give information, but with Huck, he was like a master conductor leading a complicated symphony. "She made two appointments for an abortion with the clinic on 16th NW and L. Cancelled both appointments, obviously, but here . . ." Huck pulled up footage in split screen. One was of Olivia entering the building; the other was her actually in lobby of the building the clinic was located. Olivia stopped and paced around in circles for a bit and then headed back out the door.

"OK, Huck, you found her, but anything else?" Huck switched the screen to a couple of street cameras showing Olivia getting out of a cab before she entered the clinic and hailing a cab when she left. "See, there!" Huck pointed out a car that stopped when Olivia exited the taxi and looked like it was tailing her. When she came back out and hailed a cab, it followed her again. "I was able to make out partial plates; we'll be able to get some more information soon."

"Huck, I think I've got the ob-gyn she went to!" Quinn emerged smiling from her offices where a maze of wires connected to Huck's equipment to her computers. "The name she used for the appointment was Carolyn Booker." Both Harrison and Huck followed her into her office. "It looks like she went a doctor's office in Foggy Bottom." Quinn pulled up the scheduling information for a Dr. Leela Janda. Huck got on her computer and started looking around for camera feeds in the office and in the area surrounding it. It took awhile for the search to run on the camera feeds. Finally, Huck was able to pull a batch of feeds during Olivia's appointment hour. Each one of them started looking at different feeds hoping to catch something unusual.

"Found her," Harrison called out. Harrison watched the footage of Olivia getting out of a cab from security cameras across the way. "Look, there's that car again." It was a black Ford Sedan that slowed down when she got out and eventually turned around and parked. After she left in another cab, it followed her again. "I still can't get a clear picture of the plates, but let's run the partials and see what we get. There has to be something more though, they couldn't really know what she was doing unless they went inside the office. They watched footage from multiple camera angles over multiple hours.

Abby took the partial plate numbers and started running those as well. After several hours, Abby declared, "I've got it! It's registered to a private DC security firm called the Sunset Group." That name sounded familiar to Harrison, but he couldn't quite place it. "Huck, do you know these guys?"

"Yeah, they do private work, mostly for corporate clients. I've heard they were all above board, but maybe not so much. I'll try to get in touch with some people that have worked for them in the past."

Suddenly, Quinn shouted out, "Oh my God! _I've seen that guy!_ He's one of Huck's spy friends." Harrison looked on the monitor and saw the man; he thought his name was Charlie. Harrison remembered meeting him after it looked like Huck's old team of assassins from a CIA offshoot were being knocked off and needed Pope and Associates help. Charlie entered into the Doctor's office after hours. It was just a snippet of a corner camera showing Charlie enter the building. Nothing remained of the footage inside the Doctor's office for the time period Charlie was in there. Or other camera's located around the building. It seemed that Charlie had missed one camera, but it may have been enough to crack one of the largest conspiracies of the century.


	8. Chapter 8: Fitz

Chapter 8: Fitz

It had been three days since Fitz first met his youngest daughter on that windswept runway of Andrews Air Force base. When he saw her for the first time, he had never felt the contrast of grief and joy so acutely. She looked so much like her mother, he was sure he was seeing her as a little girl. But Olivia was not there. Olivia may never be there for her daughter again. This may be his only connection to her that would remain in this world.

He wanted to just spend a week soaking Maya in; however, he was too busy trying to figure out how to save the life of her mother. They had put Maya in Teddy's nursery next to Fitz's room, and James and Ella stayed in the nanny's room. When Fitz finally made it up to his room after a long day, he made sure that he was the one to pick her up if she cried during the middle of the night. Most of the time during the day, Maya was very quiet, silently observing everyone with her big solemn blue eyes. Fitz didn't know if this was normal for her, or it was a side effect of the kidnapping. She hadn't spoken a word, but not every two year old talked. The only time she made much of any noise was at night when she wailed; crying so hard that her whole body would shudder. He would pick her up, hold her tight on his chest and walk her around the room, telling her it was ok, it was alright, everything was going to be fine. When really, all he wanted to do was cry with her.

So this little girl was why Olivia went halfway across the world, breaking off all contact with him. He should be angry with Liv, but with her absence, there just didn't seem to be a point to it. He could understand why she did it with all the casually cruel things that were being said in the media at that moment. He knew that Olivia never had any desire to go through this. And to think at one time, for however briefly, she actually agreed that she would. That she would wait for him to get a divorce and they would weather the media storms together.

That was before he learned the truth about his first election and Olivia's roll in it. With that knowledge, his whole world began to crumble. He could still see its destruction even now. Olivia had apologized for her part in Defiance, but by that time he felt like he had gone down such a dark path that he couldn't trust anyone enough to tell them about his own journey. When he had told her that he couldn't trust her, she left, never telling him about their child. He thought of how hard it must have been for her, pregnant and without a friend, away from everyone she'd ever known and loved. He wished he could have shared that with her. Their child was a mystery to him and Olivia wasn't there to fill in the blanks.

_Olivia, where are you? _He felt useless right now. He was directing everyone, but all he really wanted to do was get on an air craft carrier, fly his own fucking jet and find her. Then everyone would _really_ know he had gone off the deep end. However, he knew that wasn't practical and was essentially looking for a needle in a haystack. So instead, he used all the resources he had available as President. But even then, his power had limitations.

He still got briefings, he still got the latest info on the ground, he still had long talks with diplomats and foreign military leaders discussing what was happening with the United Arabic Provinces and Oamarain, but now he was getting the distinct sense that people just went through the motions, like it was already a foregone conclusion that Olivia Pope was dead. He would then demand anyone who was talking to him to find out more information from the people on the ground; however, he got the sense that they were just biding their time. Other work started creeping in the agenda.

Outside of the White House, some people were calling on his impeachment, claiming that his personal life had led the country to international turmoil and the brink of war. Maybe they were right about that. Olivia should never have been a secret that could be used against him. His love for her was being used as a weapon, which gave him serious pause. He was being used, and he could feel it. Someone wanted him to start a war and was using Olivia as the means to flame it. But who, he did not know and he wasn't sure if he could trust anyone else to find out.

Cyrus was actually on the Hill right now meeting with the Speaker of the House. That alone showed what damage the crisis had done. It usually was the Speaker begging to meet with the President. Now, the Speaker wouldn't be bothered to come down from the Hill and speak to the President. And the Speaker was a member of his own party.

Fitz decided to take a break for a bit and see Maya. He got up from his desk and called for the dog, "Come on, Buckley." The retriever immediately sprung up from where he was sitting next to Fitz's desk and followed Fitz. He had taken Buckley to see Maya a couple of times in the nursery and she seemed very interested in the dog, following him around the room with her eyes. He even thought he saw her crack a smile briefly.

When Fitz arrived at the nursery, he saw little Ella playing with some blocks in the corner. She looked up, smiled and said, "Hi, Fitz!" Fitz smiled back and said, "Hi, cutie." James was holding Maya in the rocker. Fitz took off his jacket and threw it on the side of the crib and rolled up his sleeves. He then picked Maya up and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"She ate about an hour ago and she was just changed." James got up and went over to Ella, "Hey babe, let's go see Daddy, ok? We'll see you in about fifteen minutes?" Fitz nodded his head absently in agreement and watched the two leave, forgetting to tell them that Cyrus was on the Hill.

He sat down on the floor in the middle of the room, with Maya in his lap. He called the dog over and started petting him. He looked down at Maya who was completely fascinated by Buckley. "You want to pet him, Maya? You want to pet the doggie?" He took her hand and placed it on the retriever. She started running her fingers through the dog's fur. She then leaned into him with both of her hands, petting him. He looked at her face and caught his breath, she was actually smiling. "Yeah, that's it. Nice, doggie, huh? Good dog."

"Dog!" Fitz's eyes grew wide with shock, this was the first time he heard her say anything. "Yeah, that's right Maya, he's a dog." Buckley wagged his tail, and then rolled over to expose his belly. Maya patted him up and down and laughed outright. "Dog! Dog! Dog! Dog!" Fitz smiled at her and kissed her on the head, his eyes glistening with tears. He wondered if this is what she was like around Olivia.

Olivia should be here with them. It can't end with her death at some hands of some two-bit thugs. He refused to accept that. He knew she was still alive. He could still feel her somehow. "We'll find her, sweetheart. We'll bring your Mommy back. We belong together." He tightened his hold on Maya and kissed her again. "We are meant to be together," he said, hoping it was true.


	9. Chapter 9: Cyrus

Chapter 9: Cyrus

Cyrus left the Speaker's office in a foul mood. While the Speaker said that he had no plan to introduce letters of impeachment, he hedged his bets and said that the American people were the ultimate deciders and that if more facts came out, he would have to take them into account. Cyrus wondered if the Speaker just wanted to get Sally a two and a half years head start in her presidential bid by getting rid of Fitz. The President never did fit in well with the party and the ultra-right wing thought this was an opportunity to get rid of him and put in someone more aligned with their agenda. Cyrus wanted to call the Speaker out on it, but his practical side won out; they needed him as an ally and couldn't afford to alienate him.

"Look, you know if there is any sunlight between you and the President, the Democrats will pounce. Don't let them go there. You know we are stronger as a united front."

"You don't have to tell me that, Cy. But it seems your guy should have thought about that before he unzipped his pants," the Speaker said bluntly. "One thing I will say is that people are angry that these Omarains have dared taken any American hostages, no matter what relations they may or may not have had to the President. People want blood, and I'm sure the President wants more than that too, considering the circumstances. The Omarain government has been terrorizing its own people and flaunting international law for too long and I think people are ready to strike back at them after this latest incident. Besides, they are sitting on top of the largest oil reserves in the region, and an unstable government there is not good for anybody. So, once this hostage thing, well, once it is concluded," here, the Speaker looked a little shame-faced, by "concluded" he obviously meant when Olivia is finally dead. "Once it is concluded, we can take a look at how we can provide stability and payback."

"I'm sure President Grant would be willing to hear what you have to say on the matter, Mr. Speaker," Cyrus tried to be as diplomatic about this as possible. "But the hostage situation is not resolved yet and it would be premature to discuss what will be done afterwards."

"Yeah, well, shouldn't be too long now, should it?" The Speaker's ice blue eyes showed no empathy or warmth that was supposed to be his trademarks.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Speaker," Cyrus responded curtly. "We'll keep you informed about the situation." Cyrus flew out of the Speaker's office, with his aid following shortly behind him. "I want you to get a hold of the Senate Minority Leader's office," Cyrus barked, "and find out what kind of clowns he's got serving on the . . ."

"Cyrus, my boy!" Cyrus stopped, and turned around to see Hollis Doyle walking towards him. He wasn't about to play nice with this asshole after groveling all afternoon. "Hollis," he said sharply, before turning back around.

"Now, hold on a second. I know you've been runnin' around like a chicken with its head cut off, but slow down a minute. I got some information you want." Cyrus stopped, he was pretty sure he had no interest in what Hollis would say, but it was enough to make him curious. "I'm awfully torn up about what's happening to Livvie, just terrible." At this point Hollis was shaking his head and had such an expression of false sincerity that Cyrus was seconds away from just strangling him. "Of course, the way those two acted during the campaign trail, you'd wonder why they didn't get caught sooner." _So, Hollis knew about Liv and Fitz too?_ _Son of a bitch, just die!_ "I've been talkin' to a lot of folks up here and I think they really want to make sure that these radicals won't get away with it. Blood for blood, Cy. That's what I'm talkin' about."

"I think what you really mean is blood for oil, Hollis."

Hollis's frozen grin looked like one of those mad clowns in a fun house. "Now, you sound like one of those softie liberal cable news guys now. Don't ya know where you're bread is buttered, son?" Cyrus ignored him, about to turn back down the hallway. "You don't get it, ya never did, Cyrus. Sure, another war in the Middle East may be profitable for us, but I'm patient. If it's not this crisis, it'll be the next. I'm in it for the long game, unlike you. At your best, you'd have eight measly years to get all your power. And even then, y'all wouldn't be able to accomplish half of what you wanted. You're just window dressing, Cy. You come, you go. Sometimes me and mine can use you, sometimes you're useless. But when the dust settles, we're always there. I think after sixteen years, the American people might be sick of the Republicans, don't you? It's definitely time for a change. It doesn't matter whose actually there, because they'll see it our way, eventually. So, you go running back to your lovesick boy and when he wants to take his revenge, y'all let us know, ya' hear?"

"You think you're untouchable, Hollis?" Cyrus was sick of the bullshit he was getting from all sides. "You're not. You're only a man, and every man can be touched, Hollis. If you are so powerful, then why the hell are you always groveling around your lessers here? We've got the largest bully pulpit in the world. We can print our own money when we want more of it. We've also got the Army, the Navy, the Marines, the Air Force, the Coast Guard, the CIA, the NSA, and all the other scary secret people that help keep America safe. You know it, you want it, so don't give me your bullshit about us just being window dressing. And next time this Administration wants the advice of some bloated, egotistical country bumpkin, we'll call ya, ya hear?" And with that, Cyrus stormed out of the halls of Congress and flew back to Mount Olympus, knowing that he had power others wanted, at least for a little while longer.

On his way back, Cyrus received a phone call that may have changed everything. "Harrison, please tell me you have something good."


	10. Chapter 10: Olivia

**Yeah, so I'm upping the rating on this story. ;-) Thanks for the reviews people and hang on tight!**

Chapter 10: Olivia

The cool water enveloped Olivia's whole body, except for her belly which peaked from the water like an atoll in the Pacific. _Such a hot day._ The bath was exactly what she needed to relax. Her back was killing her, her feet ached, her head throbbed, even her face hurt. She was dead tired. She drew her bath, watching the rushing water pool in the bottom of the big bathtub. She ran her fingers through the water feeling it tickle her tips. She loved taking baths with natural products, so she added some milk and honey. The honey smelled so good, she had to taste it. She took a little on her tongue and rolled the sweetness around her mouth. She closed her eyes and let the water wash all thoughts and all pain away.

She felt his gentle touch on her stomach, and smiled without opening her eyes. "Hi," he said, with his deep voice. "Hi," she responded, reaching for his hand, intertwining her fingers with his. "Won't be long now, will it?" Her brow creased for a moment, she was forgetting something. "No," she replied, "she's been kicking a lot. I think she wants to come out."

"I love seeing you like this," his hand stroking her stomach. "I love knowing that a little part me is growing inside of you." She smiled thinking of an innuendo, but didn't want to disturb the moment. He grabbed a natural sponge and started to softly caress her belly with it and then traced the sponge up to her breast, circling her sensitive areolas. She felt him gently take one of her nipples in his mouth. A little sigh of pleasure escaped her lips. He moved his mouth to her lips and gave her a tender kiss. She could feel the drops of water he left on her lips. She touched her tongue with his, feeling the sweet moisture of his mouth. He continued to kiss her, and moved his hand down to that sensitive juncture of her thighs. He gently stroked her folds. She didn't feel any urgency, just a pleasant calming sensation over every bit of her body.

He then moved both of his hands to her face and gently cupped it. He gave her another moist kiss and said, "Livvie, you need to wake up. You need to stay with us." With that, her eyes opened in a flash and she briefly saw Fitz's piercing blue eyes, before they melted away in the dark.

She could make out a little bit of light coming from the space between the door and the ground. She did the inventory again.

_What was her name?_ Olivia Pope.

_Who was she? _She was Maya's mother, Fitz's lover and the lady who solved other people's problems.

_Why was she taken?_ They took her because she loved a man and he loved her back.

She had repeated these questions countless times, trying to separate the illusions from the reality of her situation. The hallucinations grew more frequent. She couldn't remember the last time they had given her any water or food.

_Who took her? _This was one question on her itemized list she couldn't answer.

She remember what they said when they made the recording of her. Her captors said that they were supporting the Oamarain government and wanted the release of some militia leaders. If they truly were friends of that government, they had a funny way of showing it. A handful of military leaders wouldn't make up for poking the bear that is the United States and its Commander in Chief, Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III. The U.S. didn't have any real stake in the Oamarain civil war until this moment.

Maybe they were fanatics, just hoping to see the world burn. The little interaction she had with them didn't lead her to believe this. They seemed to treat this like a job, not a cause.

They were Americans. She was sure of it.

The gunmen who took her certainly were, or they had extremely good accents. After making the recording, she heard some of them joking about the Patriots and the Dallas Cowboy Football teams. In the two and half years she had lived in this region of the world, she never heard anyone talk about American Football like that. The one person who spoke on camera in Arabic did not seem to be a part of the group.

They had told her that she and her daughter were worth a war. Someone wanted to start a war in the region, and they were the key to it. And it did not matter to them if she lived.

Because she was pretty sure she was dying of dehydration.


	11. Chapter 11: Fitz

Chapter 11: Fitz

_Do you even want this? Do you want to be President? _

_Obviously, I'm running. _

"Sir, this isn't a good idea, once you go in there, you are putting yourself in a compromising position." Fitz was about to push past Cyrus to go into the interrogation room, but Cyrus persisted in making his point and put his hand on Fitz's shoulder. "Look, we've rounded up most of this Sunset Group and they are being interrogated and are already giving us information, Huck has literally been putting the screws in Charlie, we WILL find her, Fitz. You need to maintain some plausible deniability here. From the intel we've got so far, we know this asshole is behind it all," Cyrus stuck his thumb out to the direction of the door, "but going in there and talking to him is just . . . unnecessary."

_Do you want this or are you just wasting everyone's time? _

"No, Cy, this is happening and it's been far too long in coming." Fitz entered the room alone, Tom and another secret service agent stationed themselves right outside the door. He took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and dragged a chair over to within about six inches of where the person was seated at the table. He straddled the chair, sitting with the back in front of him and looked directly into the person's eyes, and calmly asked, "Where is she?"

Hollis Doyle let out a deep barrel laugh, "Son, I think you've watched too many detective shows or somethin'. Are you supposed to be intimidating me?" Hollis' laugh was cut short when Fitz slammed his face on the side of the table, breaking his nose and cutting his face. "Where is she?"

Hollis tried to stem the blood running from his nose with the side of his sleeve. He had a shocked look on his face, probably the first time he had worn that expression in years. He took a few seconds to gain his composure, and then grinned, looking ghoulish as blood mixed with his perfectly white straight teeth. "Even if I really was behind this, do you think I would have any idea where she is? That stuff is for the worker bees to know. Didn't you ever learn that you're not supposed to micro-manage, son? I guess not." Hollis carefully touched his nose to assess the damage. "My lawyers are going to have a field day, my boy! How much is a lawsuit for personal assault by the President of the United States worth, do you think?"

_Who are you and why do you want to be President?_

"Cyrus said that you told him you knew about the affair on the campaign trail. You knew about us, didn't you? You kept an eye on her this whole time, didn't you?"

"Yes, let's talk about the campaign," Hollis' eyes were clear and he stopped smiling. "Now, who you were poking on the trail didn't interest me. Although I don't see how anyone could have not noticed it. Verna and I had a running joke about all the "meetings" you two ran off to. But, like I said, I don't give a damn that you and Liv were screwing. I do give a damn that you screwed me. I put all that money up for you, and what did I get? I got the brush off after a couple of years. Without me, you and I both know _you . . _. Would. Never. Be. President."

Yes, Fitz knew it. Defiance. It always came back to Defiance.

_Do you think I'll make a good President?_

_I think you'll make a great President. _

Hollis was the main person responsible for making sure that Fitz's first Presidential election went his way by 4,359 votes. Without Hollis, no one would have ever called him "Mr. President." Fitz would never have helped pass an important piece of national legislation or have stopped a hostile force from doing harm in the world. He'd just be an average man, and for all of his grousing about being stuck in an ivory prison, he liked the power of the presidency.

He wouldn't have won, but he would have had Olivia. He would have divorced Mellie years ago, and Olivia would have been all his. He was certain of it now. And it would have been worth it.

"Where is she?"

"What, no thank you? We all knew that you really never had the stomach for the dirty hands that were necessary to win the game." Hollis continued to try to staunch the flow from his nose and face, with his hands, which were now covered with blood. "Even your precious Livvie knew that. She was the last to agree to the plan, you know? Last one that held out the go. Everyone thought you were so unique, clean as a whistle, a true patriot, once in a generation. Not me though, I always knew you were just six of one, half a dozen of the other. But you were supposed to belong to me."

_You own me. You control me. I belong to you. . . ._

Fitz shook these thoughts from his head and said, "I never belonged to you, Hollis. You couldn't buy me if I didn't know my presidency was for sale. So, what, you thought you'd start a war in the Middle East for revenge because I wouldn't allow you in my sandbox anymore?"

"Don't you know me better than that by now? I don't care about revenge. Well, I don't care _all_ about revenge. Like I was telling your boy Cyrus, war in the Middle East may be profitable, but I'm also patient. Sometimes you just need to wait until all the ducks are in a row. Your sandbox? Heh. Nothing was yours. It never belonged to you." Hollis waved his hand dismissively. "Enough. I'm done talking; I want my lawyer here, now."

"Where is she?"

"No. I'm done. I want my lawyer."

_Now show them who you are._

"WHERE IS SHE?" The fury overcame him. Fitz rushed Hollis, picked him out of his chair and slammed him on the ground, choking him. "Just tell me where she is!" Fitz felt the whole world crumble beneath feat and he was falling. Just falling, down and down. He was losing her. He knew it. He could feel her slipping away. Hollis' eyes were wide with fear, he started gasping for air.

"Wait! Don't know where she is," Hollis wheezed. "Not how it's done!" Fitz eased up a little. "Hired those Sunset people," Hollis panted. "No idea about logistics!"

"Sir," Fitz didn't hear when Agent Tom entered into the room. He and the other agent started to pull Fitz off of Hollis as he started to choke the life out of the man. "Sir, I can't allow you to do that." Fitz stopped and jumped up. He looked at Tom, who remained calm and steady, and didn't betray any judgment in his eyes. Tom was doing his job, trying to protect Fitz, even if it was from himself. Fitz started to catch his breath. Hollis got up and sat in his chair, coughing and looking down at the floor and rubbing his neck. After a few minutes, Fitz told his agents that he would be fine and asked them to leave.

"I don't know if I'll be fine," Hollis yelled after them. Nevertheless, the agents left the room. "That's it, boy. You want to try to pin this whole hostage thing on me, fine. But I'm taking all of you down with me. Just you wait until my lawyers get here; the Fitzgerald Grant III Administration is toast."

"You are never going to see your lawyers, Hollis," Fitz said calmly. "You are never going to see the inside of a court room. In fact, you are never going to see sunlight again. You'll never have a chance to threaten me, this administration or the people I love again. You are going to the darkest hole imaginable, and whenever they do find your body, don't worry, I'll give you a great eulogy." The fall was easier than he expected, he wondered if he'd ever hit the ground.

Cyrus then entered the room, "They've got a location."


	12. Chapter 12: Olivia

**Thanks to everyone for reading and giving feedback! Feedback gives me life. I probably won't update tomorrow. RL getting in the way. **

Chapter 12: Olivia

_Light, brilliant light. Piercing right into her skull._

"_Ms. Pope, can you hear me? She's not responding. We are going to need an IV started now." _

_So loud. So bright. _

"_She's seizing! Ms. Pope? Olivia, I need you to hang in there. Stay with us."_

_Blessed darkness. _

She opened her eyes slowly and the first thing she saw was his face. He caught his breath in a strangled cry. His eyes were red and puffy. "Hi," she said with a smile.

"Hi," he responded. He immediately kissed her on the lips, and tenderly on her cheeks, her eyes, her ears. She ran her fingers through his hair as she held his head. She laughed a little and could feel his tears on her face as she kissed him back. _Was this really happening? _She stopped, fear creeping into her voice, "Maya?"

"She's fine. She's beautiful." He wiped away the moisture from his eyes with the back of one hand. "She looks like her mother," he said, smiling. Fitz then called in an agent and asked him to make arrangements for Maya to be brought to the hospital. Fitz clasped Olivia's hand and brought it up to his lips to kiss. "You had severe dehydration which led to seizures, but it looks like you are recovering normally, according to the doctors. You also were injured in the face, but you're healing." He gently caressed the nasty bruises on her cheeks. Olivia had been evacuated on a military transport and flown back to Washington. She was then taken to George Washington Hospital for treatment.

"I knew you'd find us," she said with surety.

"Well, I'm glad someone knew, because I sure didn't," he said with some apprehension still in his voice. "Your old employees were crucial in tracking you down."

"They're good, aren't they," she said with pride. "Olivia Pope only works with the best," he said gently, as he intertwined his fingers with hers. While Fitz started to explain the logistics of her rescue, Olivia drifted back to sleep, still exhausted from her entire ordeal.

She woke again when she heard Fitz say, "Someone wants to see you." She opened her eyes and saw Fitz holding Maya. She had a big smile on her face and practically dove out of Fitz's hands towards Olivia. "Hi, baby girl," Olivia said, holding her arms out to her. "Momma!" Olivia hugged her daughter tightly, and then reached out a hand to Fitz. He grasped it and then enveloped both Maya and Olivia in his arms. They never stopped touching each other through the smiles and laughter and tears.

Olivia then rocked her baby in her arms and after awhile, Maya drifted off to sleep, looking peaceful and serene. Fitz told Olivia that he was making arrangements to move her to Camp David to recuperate. Olivia resisted this, advising Fitz that it wouldn't look good in the press. Fitz smirked and said, "That is nothing compared to what's been going on lately in the press. I don't give a damn what they think."

Olivia Pope, crisis manager, started to awake from her slumber. "Well, you should, Fitz. The press must be eating you alive right now and you probably don't need any other bad publicity. Maybe I'll see if I can stay with Abby or something."

"No," Fitz said forcefully. "I want to know you and Maya are safe and with me. I'm not letting you go again. Look Livvie, I need this, you need this. There's so much we need to talk about and I need time with you to do that. I'm not ignoring the press; I've issued a statement, I've taken questions regarding the hostage situation after you were rescued, and I suppose I'll have to do a goddamn sit-down interview with Kimberly Mitchell soon. So please, just let this happen."

Olivia finally agreed and two days later, she was taken by helicopter to Camp David, thankfully avoiding the rabid press. They put her in the master suite in the main complex. This made her feel uneasy. Her relationship with Fitz had always been covert, a secret that few shared. Now, she felt like there was a big neon sign over her head that said "I'm in a relationship with the married President." She supposed she needed to get use to it; there was probably no corner on earth that didn't know about it now. Although really, she didn't know what the status of this "relationship" was. It had been about two and a half years since they had last seen each other in this very room and it had ended very badly for them that night. Was that really all water under the bridge now?

He said he couldn't trust her, was that supposed to have all changed now that he saved her from certain death? Maybe he was just felt obligated to her because she bore his child. _Stop it, Olivia. You know that isn't true._ When she was held hostage, in the dark, everything seemed so clear, she knew that they had a connection that was more than an affair or a simple relationship. She knew that Fitz was the other half of her and that they truly belonged together. Now, in the daylight, all of those voices of uncertainty came creeping back.

Olivia spent the next couple of days resting and regaining her strength. James and Ella stayed at Camp David as well, helping out with Maya as Olivia recuperated. Olivia got a kick out of watching Maya follow Ella around. It seemed like her daughter was determined to do everything the older child did. Fitz actually stayed at the White House, defusing the situation between the United Arabic Provinces and Omarain. The kidnapping of Olivia and Maya and the death of their staff had officially been declared the work of a rogue group not associated with the government of Omarain. She knew that there was more to the situation and Fitz said that he would tell her about it when he joined her at Camp David in a couple of days.

They talked on the phone many times during those next few days. Sometimes, they would talk about mundane things, or what was going on with her former country of residence, other times they would just be on the phone together in silence. Fitz told Olivia he would have his dog Buckley brought to Camp David, explaining to her that the dog was Maya's buddy. She told Fitz about their dog, Max, and how much Maya loved him. Then she suddenly burst into tears thinking about how he died along with her other employees who were the closest thing she had to family in Yadub. "I'm sorry I'm not there right now, Livvie. I'm coming there tonight, with Buckley, a personal delivery."

"No, Fitz," Olivia, said, trying to pull it together so he wouldn't hear her crying. "I know you've got more work to do."

"No, it's fine. I think we've taken care of most of the personal negotiations with the Ambassadors and Diplomats, most of the other stuff can be worked out by phone or through aids. So I'm coming."

By the time Fitz and Cyrus arrived, everyone was down for the night. Cyrus joined James and Ella in one of the cabins. Olivia and Fitz went to check on their daughter, who was staying in a room across the hall from the master suite. They stood over the toddler bed and just looked at her sleep for awhile. Her face was completely relaxed. She was even snoring a little. Fitz wrapped his arm around Olivia and drew her closer and she in turned wrapped her arm around his waist, both watching Maya's chest rise and fall, steady and even. Buckley approached her and sniffed, then turned around a few times in front of her bed and lay down. Fitz smiled and whispered, "Well, I guess we know where Buckley is sleeping tonight." He turned to her and grew serious, "Look Liv, I don't want to make any presumptions. It's been over two years since we saw each other and I know you are still recuperating. I can stay in one of the other rooms."

Olivia responded by taking his hand and guiding him back to the master bedroom. She shut the door and placed her hand at the nape of his neck, brought his mouth down to hers and barely grazed his lips, opening her mouth slightly and breathing the same air as he. She lightly swept her tongue over his lower lip. Fitz gently held her head in his hands and then deepened the kiss, touching her tongue with his. He then tenderly took her hands and held them together with his, almost like he was praying with her. He looked at her deeply in the eyes and said, "We really need to talk, Livvie."

"I know that we need to talk, about really important things, things about trust and running half way around the world, and your marriage, and the people who kidnapped me and the media circus. But, could we skip it for now and get to the part where you make love to me?"

"Ok," he said without hesitation. He smiled at her as he lifted her up, one arm holding her back and the other her legs at the crook of her knees. He walked her to the bed and gently placed her on it. He sat beside her, leaned down and gave her a feather-light kiss. She sat up slightly and started to try to take off his clothes. He again took both of her hands into his and said, "You asked me to make love to _you_. So lie down and just relax." She hesitated for a moment and then complied. He placed one hand on her stomach underneath her grey silk pajama top. He bent down and kissed her softly at first, then deeper. He then broke the kiss, and she made a little noise of disappointment.

Fitz removed his jacket and threw it on the lounge chair; he slowly took off his tie and his shirt. She smiled as she watched Fitz do an impromptu striptease, finding herself getting more turned on. He still looked really good, his stomach flat and his muscles firm. He had a few more grey hairs on his head, but considering that he had one of the most stressful jobs on the planet, he escaped the passage of time relatively unscathed. She was a little self-conscience about her own appearance at the moment. She lost weight due to the hostage ordeal, her hair was a mess, her face was bruised, but thank God nothing was permanently damaged. And yet here he was, standing before her, looking at her like she was the most desirable person on the planet. He took off his shoes and pants but kept his boxers on and moved back to the bed.

He kissed her neck right below her ear and then followed her jaw line with a series of small wet kisses. He then gently took her bottom lip between his teeth, sucking it, and then plunging his tongue into her mouth to explore. His right hand cupped her breast and gently stroked his thumb on her nipple, the silk cloth rubbing back and forth on her skin. His other hand found her right and intertwined their fingers above her head. She ran her other hand up his strong back and rested it on his broad shoulder. He began to trace kisses down her neck, slightly flicking his tongue. He found one of her nipples and sucked it through the silk fabric. When released it, the cool sensation of the wet fabric made her gasp. He then started to unhook each of the small buttons of her pajama top, placing a kiss on her flesh where the button was. He found her belly button and dipped his tongue into the hollow. Olivia felt like a charge had been sent through her down straight to the center of her womanhood.

Fitz then traced her flesh right above the band of her pajama bottoms with nipping kisses. She thought he was heading for his favorite place, but then his lips started moving back up her body. He stopped and sat up a bit and pushed the silk fabric to either side of her exposed breasts and just stared at them. She grew self-conscience again and moved to cover herself up. He took both of her hands to stop her and said, "No, please. You're beautiful. I just want to soak in the sight of you." She acquiesced.

He took both of her hands into one of his and held them above her head. His lips then travelled to her chest, kissing one breast, then the other, alternating between gently pulling a nipple between his teeth and sucking on it deeply. He moved his free hand down underneath the fabric of her pajama bottoms and stroked each fold of her womanhood. Her breath was getting short and shallow. When he stuck two fingers into her she moaned loudly. He moved his fingers up and down again and again. Fitz then took off her pajama pants and replaced his fingers with his tongue. She looked down at him as he was thoroughly working his mouth over her most sensitive area. He stared right back at her. He liked to do that. She knew he liked to watch her expression as he was giving her pleasure. She felt an intense pressure start to build and her moans grew louder and louder. She grabbed both sides of his head and pulled on his hair, begging him to stop with his tongue and bury himself in her. Now.

He quickly took off his boxers and thrust into her deeply. He muffled her scream with his mouth. She tasted herself on his lips. He moved in her with a steady pace. He would almost completely withdraw from her before plunging back into her. She wrapped her legs around his hips and hung on for dear life. He increased his speed as the tension built, thrusting into her again and again. Her hips met his, as she strove to be even closer than they were. She let out a cry of ecstasy as they found their release.

They stayed like this for awhile, with him spent inside of her. She flashed back to the last time they were like this and the look of incredible agony that was in his eyes. When she looked into his eyes this time, she found peace. He smiled at her and she had never felt so loved, so cherished. She felt like she was home, finally.


	13. Chapter 13: Fitz

**Thanks again everyone for the feedback! I really do appreciate it. Just want to say that I wrote the Karen and Jerry stuff here _before_ last nights episode, so yeah, there you go. **

Chapter 13: Fitz

Fitz watched Olivia sleep; still hardly believing she was here with him. She was spooned in front of him, her back pressed against his chest. He gently traced her rib cage, noticing the bones sticking out slightly. He was momentarily filled with a sense of panic and then anger, thinking of the condition she was found when the SEAL team stormed the hideout. Cyrus and Fitz rushed back to the White House as soon as they found out that they had a location on Olivia. A live video feed streamed into the Situation Room. Fitz felt an overwhelming sense of dread watching the ops team move silently through each room. A few targets were immediately put down, one was captured. They found a dark, almost-forgotten looking room in the basement, turned on the lights and found a body.

That's what she looked like, a body, a corpse. She was gone and his life was over. Then they seemed to have roused her momentarily and she started convulsing. "Ms. Pope? Olivia, I need you to hang in there. Stay with us." He watched the whole agonizing process of the medics trying to stabilize her. When they cut the feed, he roared for them to find out what happened and turn it back on. Cyrus tried to calm him down, "She's in good hands now, sir. Let them do their job." As soon as she was stabilized, she was flown back to the States.

He had almost lost her. He held her tighter, feeling her body fitting next to his perfectly and then placed one of his hands on top of hers, gently stroking it. When he attacked Hollis, there was a moment when he actually believed he felt her slip away. He felt a gnawing sense of worry in the pit of his stomach. He may lose her still.

The ultimate reason why he let her go that night two and a half years ago still had not been addressed. Fitz's heart started racing, thinking of the moment he took Verna's life. He also thought of how he had made sure that Hollis would never expose the secret of Defiance in addition to paying for what he did to Livvie and Maya. He wasn't a good guy anymore. Maybe he never was. _What will her reaction be?_ He quietly moved from her and slipped out of the covers. He could see that dawn was breaking through the curtains.

Fitz put on a pair of boxers and then moved to the large center window. He opened the drapes to watch the early sunlight rise over the treetops and spill onto the meadow, losing himself in thought. He felt her arms circle his waist as she gave him a kiss on his back and pressed her check against him. He turned slightly and put an arm around her shoulders and leaned in to kiss her. "Good morning," Olivia said.

"Morning, Livvie. I see you've found another one of my Navy shirts," he said, gently teasing. "You know, I'm still waiting for you to return the one you stole from me last time." He turned her to face him and wrapped one arm around her waist and resting the other hand on her bottom and pulled her in close. She was only wearing his shirt, which came to about mid-thigh on her.

"You can always get it, provided my house in Yadub wasn't ransacked after I was taken. It was one of the few things I took with me," she said shyly. He didn't know why she wanted to preserve a memory from that night. He was about to say that, but he hesitated. He knew that it would lead to "the talk." He supposed that he needed to start it. The day was breaking; people would soon start getting up. Maya would be awake in a couple of hours, if they were lucky.

_Ok, here it goes. _"I'm sorry that I let you go that night. I've regretted it every day since it happened. If I hadn't . . . none of this . . ." Fitz's voice caught in his throat and he turned his gaze away from hers. Olivia took his head in her hands and looked him in the eyes and said, "It's not your fault, Fitz. You are not responsible for what happened to me and Maya. The ones who are responsible are the evil people who decided to use us against you."

"It was Hollis, Liv. He was behind it all." He could tell Olivia was surprised by this. Fitz went on to explain that Hollis had apparently known about the affair since the beginning and that he had Olivia tailed for at least a year before she left, right up to the moment she took off for Yadub. "And I thought I was being so careful . . ." Olivia shook her head and looked like she was trying to figure out where she went wrong.

When Fitz had learned Hollis' roll in Defiance, he made sure that he no longer had access to the White House and slowed down or stalled the government contracts with Doyle Energy. Doyle Energy looked to profit a huge amount of money if war broke out in the region, so the "hostage situation" was both payback and profit. Fitz brushed his thumb over the fading bruises on Olivia's cheeks. "He's never going to hurt us again, Livvie. I've made sure of it. It wasn't legal or ethical, but I don't care. I wanted him gone for what he did to you and Maya."

Olivia creased her brow, and then looked like she resolved something in her mind and said, "Good. He deserved it after what he did to Maya."

"And for what he did to _you_, Olivia." He said again as held her face and lightly brushed her bruised cheek again.

"I've crossed so many lines that I thought I'd never cross and I need you to know that, to know who I am now." Fitz broke out of the embrace with Olivia, who watched on with concern. He started to pace the room, heart racing with fear. _This is it, just tell her now. _"Olivia, I . . . I killed Verna Thorton."

Olivia looked incredulous and actually laughed a little, "What? What are you talking about? She died of cancer."

Fitz then explained to Olivia how Verna had called him to her hospital room, told him that she tried to kill him because his Presidency was a lie and she wanted to protect her own legacy. Verna told him that since that didn't work; she was meeting with a federal prosecutor after he left to come clean about the election before she died. "She told me that she thought she needed to let me know first because my father would want it that way." Fitz made a noise of disgust. "_My fucking father, _of course."

"I started to walk out, accepting it; accepting that the last thing my father said to me was true, that I lost the election and I wasn't ultimately cut out to be a leader. And then I decided, no I wasn't going to allow it. I wasn't going to go to jail for something I had no part in doing. I wasn't going to see you or the mother of my children to go to jail either. I wasn't going to allow the last two years of what I was trying to accomplish be declared null and void. So I turned around, took off her oxygen mask held down her hands and watched her die. I killed Verna Thorton, Olivia. I did it. I did it with my own hands." He rubbed his hand over the bridge of his brow and his red eyes, still stunned that he killed her, feeling the full impact of all the grief and shame he had been carrying with him for over three years.

Fitz was afraid to look at her and see her judgment, so he looked out the window instead. The light was turning golden outside, it was going to be a beautiful day. He continued to rub his eyes with one hand, trying to stem the emotions that were threatening to spill out of him. The other hung loosely by his side. He felt her fingers intertwine with his then she brought his hand to her lips to kiss. "I'm sorry you found out like that and that you've been living with this for so long."

He finally looked her in the eyes and saw acceptance and forgiveness there. He couldn't hold back the turmoil of emotions any longer and wept for everything that was lost. She brought his head down to her shoulder and kissed the side of his neck and then his lips. He kissed her all over, her face, her eyes, her cheeks, and her lips, astonished by the grace he found in Olivia. His kisses grew deeper and more urgent.

Fitz felt an overwhelming need to feel himself inside her, right then. He quickly slipped off his boxers and lifted her up as she wrapped legs around his waist. She reached down and guided him into her. He backed her up against the glass window giving him some leverage. His arms hooked under her thighs and his hands firmly gripped her ass. She raised her legs up near his upper arms which allowed him to penetrate her deeper and deeper. For every thrust, she grunted and moaned; her back slid up and down against the glass, her shirt hiked up her back, her hands tightly held on to his shoulders. He pumped into her with increasing speed until she reached her climax. He soon followed, calling out her name.

He held her closely and whispered her name over and over again. Her name was a talisman that would always bring him home. Fitz carried Olivia to the nearby couch, lay down and draped her on top of him. They lay like that for awhile with Fitz absently stroking Olivia's sweaty back underneath her shirt as she drifted back to sleep. Fitz felt like the enormous weight that had been pressing on him since the night he found out about Defiance had lifted, and soon he found rest as well.

Later on that day, Fitz took Olivia and Maya out for a walk on one of the many paths surrounding the Camp. Olivia and Ftiz both held one of Maya's hands as they walked. Occasionally she would order them to lift her "Up! Up! Up!" and swing her across a rock or a branch that would be in her way on the path. Maya seemed to really be coming out of her shell since being reunited with her mother. She still didn't talk too much, preferring to observe everything with her 1000 year old eyes. A couple of weeks ago, he never imagined he'd be here with Olivia on the verge of starting a new life. He was unused to this, afraid to feel this happy.

Fitz wanted to know everything about Maya, and was getting bits and pieces of her story since Olivia had been back.

"So, what was her first word to you?" For him, it would always be dog.

"Luqaimat."

"What," Fitz asked, feeling a little less impressed with his word.

"Well, a version of it. It came out more like 'luck,' It's a kind of sweet fried pancake ball that Leila . . ." Olivia's voice caught. "That our housekeeper would make us."

Maya then broke off from the two of them and started chasing Buckley around circles. The dog would wait for her to catch up and then take off again. Fitz put his arm around Liv's shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze. Fitz and Liv watched Maya play for a bit, and then Fitz turned to face Olivia and held her hands. "I'm filing for divorce from Mellie next week. It will be six months before it can be finalized in California. Mellie might try to file in Texas first which could delay things, but my lawyers think that we would win on jurisdiction. After that, I would be free. Olivia, would you please marry me?"

He could see Olivia Pope, the fixer, rise to the surface. _Damn._ "Fitz, this is crazy. Marrying your mistress, star in an international hostage crisis, in the middle of your second term? The controversy will cripple your administration."

"The 'controversy' of our relationship is already out there, Liv, every bit. And yes, it's going to be hard for me to accomplish my agenda in the next two and a half years after everything that has happened. But damn if I'm just going to take all of the misery of the secret coming out and none of its benefit. You're the love of my life, Livvie. I want to be with the love of my life." He started to kiss her mouth, slightly sucking her upper lip, he kissed her on her throat, and he kissed her behind the ear in a particularly sensitive spot, hoping that he could seduce her into saying yes.

As he pulled back, Fitz could see that Olivia going over a million scenarios in her mind. "Tell me what you want, Liv. You don't want all the scrutiny of the White House? Fine, I'll resign. You don't want to get married? Fine, I'll shack up with you half way across the world if you wanted to," he smiled, hoping that his light tone would loosen Olivia up a little. "You want to wait to marry me until I'm out of the White House? I'll do that too. Just be with me, Olivia. Just please, be with me."

Olivia's brow was furrowed and he could tell she was forming another objection. "What about your kids, how do they feel about what's going on?"

"Well, honestly, the last few weeks have been tough. Teddy is too young to understand what's going on, I should get him next weekend and see how he's doing. Unlike the general public, Karen and Jerry both knew that Mellie and I were really separating when she left for Texas, but every aspect of our family has been dissected by the media in the past few weeks."

When the whole hostage situation first started, Fitz called Karen and Jerry at their boarding schools. He could tell that Jerry had been crying, his voice raw, _"I just wish you'd have told me."_ While both Fitz and Mellie gave Jerry a hard time about his grades, he was an easy-going kid, who was probably the most emotionally mature of all the Grants. _"I liked Ms. Pope on the campaign. I hope you find her, Dad." _Karen was a different story, in the middle of the trials of being a teenager, her last words to Fitz were:_ "You've ruined my life! I hate you!_"

"Jerry wants to come down and meet his little sister next weekend. And Karen . . . well, I've got work to do on that relationship."

Olivia had grown silent and contemplative. He knew he wasn't going to get the answer he wanted right then. "OK, Livvie, just think about it," he sighed, trying to keep the frustration out of his voice. "You don't have to make any big decisions at the moment. Just think about it." He went to Maya, scoped her up and gave her a big kiss, hoping that Olivia wasn't going to run again after he just got her back.


	14. Chapter 14: Olivia

**I'm sorry this took so long. I went in about three different directions for it and then I started reading about Camp David to get some idea of what it's like there. I really do live for the feedback. Thanks for reading, and thanks for the support!**

Chapter 14: Olivia

_Damn it, Fitz. _He was sulking, although he was trying to put on a good face. Earlier that day, Fitz asked Olivia to marry him, and had expected her to say yes right away, like that was the simplest thing in the world after everything that had passed. It was two and a half years since they saw each other and the first thing he wanted to do was marry her, even though he wasn't divorced and he hadn't even reached the middle of his second term. They hadn't really talked much since and she could tell Fitz was moody. When she went to put Maya down for the evening, Fitz said he was going to the Hickory Lodge to get a workout at the gym. That lodge was the recreation center of Camp David and in addition to a gym, housed a movie theater, a bar, billiards room and even a bowling alley.

After Maya was asleep, Olivia went to their lodge's library to find a book she could read. She couldn't find anything under ten years old on the shelves. She finally settled on a dusty tome recounting the history of Camp David. She thought about turning on the television, but that sent her heart racing just thinking about it. She hadn't turned on a television set, read a paper or logged on to the internet since she'd been rescued. She looked around, while the lodge had all the latest electronic equipment, the furniture felt dated. Almost like a vacation rental where the landlord hadn't really paid attention to the latest trends in fifteen years. This wasn't a home; it was a temporary place to rest your head. She missed her things. She looked down at the plain black sweatpants and yellow T-shirt she wore. She missed her own clothes. Fitz's aids hastily purchased some clothes before she arrived at Camp David and these definitely were not her style. Maybe she could go online and order new clothes, but that again made her feel a wave of panic.

She supposed she should contact someone in Yadub and figure out the state of her house and her things. She wasn't going back there, she knew that much. She'd sell the house. Maybe she could buy a house in Maryland or Virginia. She started to think of all her clients that lived in the suburbs of D.C. and the press that followed them. Maybe somewhere further away, perhaps Vermont or another New England state. She began to read and could not concentrate, wondering what was taking Fitz so long. Finally, she got up and told one of the secret service agents that she was going to the Hickory Lodge and asked him to contact her if Maya woke up. She walked down the path that led to the lodge, hearing the cicadas buzz and watching the moonlight cast strange shadows through the trees.

She found him at the rec room, shooting pool by himself, still sweaty from his workout. "Hi," she said gently. He looked up after he hit the ball in the corner pocket and tightly smiled, "Hi."

"I was wondering why you didn't come back," Olivia said, as she stood in the doorway.

"I was waiting for you to find me," he said, with a slight challenge in his voice. He chalked the pool stick. "Come in and close the door, I'll show you how to play." She glanced at the stoic secret service agent who stood down the hallway. She moved inside and closed the door.

"Who says I don't know how to play? Maybe I'm a pool shark," Olivia teased. Fitz propped his cue in front of him and leaned on it, his white t-shirt straining against his flexed biceps. "Are you a pool shark," Fitz asked with a smirk, knowing the answer. At that moment she wished she was a secret hustler that could dazzle him with her skills. Instead, she answered truthfully, "No."

He grabbed a longer stick and started chalking it. "Come here." He made a little gesture for her to stand in front of him. Just one little gesture and she felt like a moth to the flame. He handed the cue to her. "OK, the first thing you've got to do is stand properly." He stood directly behind her, his body molding to hers. His masculine scent was musky from the workout, but not unpleasant. He placed his large hand on her upper right thigh, which sent a slight quiver through her. "You need to place your right foot back a bit and it's going to be directly below the cue stick. Now you need to spread you legs apart like this." He nudged one of his taut thighs between hers and moved her left leg from her right. She could feel a bulge in the small of her back. "Your left hand is going to go in front. Now, you are going to want to hold it like this," he said as wrapped his large hand around hers, shaping her hand to fit the cue, her pointer finger wrapped around the stick and her thumb closed around the gap. "See how that feels?" He moved the pool stick up and down in her fingers. She felt herself shiver a bit; he knew exactly what he was doing. He guided her hands a few times practicing the motion. "Then all you got to do is make sure you aim the cue ball at the object ball and hit it straight in the center."

She hit the ball and made the side pocket. "See, I've got skills," she said as she stood up and broke their connection. "No doubt," Fitz replied, with a wicked smile. She moved away from him, keeping the billiards table between them and tried to hit another ball in the corner pocket. She missed. "See there, your balance was off, let me show you." He swiftly moved next to her again.

"Your chin needs to go down low near the stick," He stood behind her and bent her, holding her stomach to keep her steady and she could feel his warm breath on the side of her neck as he gave her a quick kiss. She felt his tongue give an exploratory taste against her skin that sent a rush of pleasure to her very core. "Keep your back arm vertical," he said, but she hardly paid attention at that point. He positioned her right arm to hold the back of the cue. Suddenly, he glided his left hand underneath her waist band and explored her damp warmth. She gasped a little. "Now, pay attention," he said, as if he was giving an instructional demo and didn't have his hand down her pants. "Move your hand back slowly and then follow smoothly forward." With his right hand, he guided her to strike the ball while his left leisurely stroked her folds. Olivia moaned as one finger, then another dipped inside her and applied pressure upwards while his thumb circled her nub of nerves.

She dropped the cue and clutched the side of the table. Fitz continued to work her with his fingers and ran his free hand up her spin bunching up her shirt as he clasped the back her neck. She finished taking off her shirt in one smooth movement, leaving on her bra. He then moved his hand away from sopping wet center and tugged down her pants and underwear. He quickly took off his own shorts. He spread her legs apart, exposing her warm depths. He lifted her hips and mounted her. She cried out his name and reared back to meet him matching his pace and feeling friction in different places. Her shaking limbs held on to the table, her fingertips touching the green felt of the billiards table. He continued to pump into her with a steady pace, firmly grasping her hips and grunting with every stroke.

He then released her and flipped her over onto the table. Her back hit one of the hard pool balls and she grimaced a little. The other balls went scattering across the table hitting the sides with sharp hard strikes. Fitz paused, "You ok?" She nodded and pulled him down on top of her. He entered her again with no ceremony. She removed his t-shirt with his help, wanting to feel as much of his skin as possible. She ran her hands up his firm abs and chest and brought his head down for a deep kiss, dueling with his tongue. She arched her back as she kept pace with his every movement. He continued to plunge the depths of her as the pressure mounted until finally they reached their climax and let go. He laid half on top of her for awhile, saying nothing. She ran her fingers in his hair, and thought of how much she missed this, of how much she missed him.

The next day, Olivia went swimming in the Aspen Pool with Maya, James and Ella. The pool was located right outside of the President's lodge. Cyrus made the odd sight of sitting out by the pool deck with his skin so glaring white that she felt like she needed sunglasses to look at him. Fitz said he needed to work on a few things in his office and couldn't join them. She knew this was true, but she also suspected that he was still smarting over her lack of response to his proposal. There were so many things to consider about how to actually make this work and all of it seemed incredibly daunting at the moment.

Although Olivia worked in communications all of her adult life, she always saw herself as a person who could disappear easily into the background. She made others look good to the media, helped put their best foot forward after they suffered public embarrassment or went through a significant personal crisis. As a fixer, she couldn't help seeing that the Fitzgerald Grant III Administration was in trouble, and she felt like she was the main cause of it. Of course, she hadn't actually turned on the television or looked at the internet to see what people were saying because she was kind of terrified by the idea she was the focus of all the buzzing media right now. _How do you solve a problem like Olivia?_

Maya brought her back to the present when she hit the water with her open palms and splashed it in Olivia's face. Her daughter seemed to think this was the most hilarious thing in the world and laughed, her blue eyes sparkling like the water around them. Olivia floated on her back with her daughter on her chest. Maya swam like a duck in the water, taking after her mother. They had a pool in their backyard in Yadub and would also occasionally go to the lavish pools and water parks of the finest resorts in the city. Olivia kept a watchful eye on her daughter, because Maya was confident enough to try and break free of her mother occasionally. Ella sat on top of a pool float playing with some toys while James pulled her around on it. Olivia swam up to them and put Maya on the float with Ella. "Can you watch her for a bit, James?" James agreed and made both girls laugh by pretending to die every time they splashed him with water.

She got out of the pool, grabbed a towel, dried off and took a seat in the lounge chair next to Cyrus who was reading a White House briefing. He was going from white to pink in very short order. "Cyrus, I think you may need some sun-block."

"Hmmm? Oh, I suppose so," Cyrus said, after taking a look at his deepening sunburn. She handed him over some sun-block from the table stand next to her. He grabbed it from her, but also held her hand for a second and said, "It's nice having you back, Olivia. I've missed you."

"Thanks, Cyrus," Olivia smiled, touched by his display of sentimentality. "So, how bad is it out there?"

Cyrus took off his sunglasses and squinted at her, as if determining how much she could handle. "It's bad, Liv. But it's not as bad as it was, so that's something. Now that it looks like we are resolving the situation in Omarain without more conflict, the Democrats who called for Fitz's impeachment have backed off. They know a weakened Fitz is better for them than a strong Sally who would have a two year head start on next Presidential campaign. That leaves the Tea Party people from our own party, and they aren't getting support from the Speaker, so I think we are in the clear in that regard."

Olivia could see Cyrus mapping out all possibilities in his mind, as he slathered on the sun-block lotion. "We'll probably lose the House in the mid-terms. The Democrats may even pick up a filibuster proof Senate, although there will definitely be a new freshman Republican Senator coming from the great state of Texas."

Olivia had purposefully been avoiding the subject of Mellie with Fitz; however Liv was extremely curious how she was reacting to everything. "Here, turn around, I'll get your back," Olivia offered, grabbing the lotion bottle. She asked, "And what about Mellie?"

Cyrus sighed. "Well, initially, her team leaked all of these reports that she was just as shocked and felt so hurt and betrayed, blah, blah, blah. Your former associates threatened to expose some good dirt on her, and that bullshit stopped pretty quickly. Now she's being a virtual saint, praising your safe return and wishing you well. Hell, she can afford to appear magnanimous when she's 30 points up and has a whole nation of people who have ever been betrayed by a spouse or lover on her side." Cyrus made a little noise of disgust, "As if she's ever been a victim." Cyrus threw up his hands and said, "But Fitz won't let us touch her."

"Mellie has put up with a lot through the years; you can't begrudge her a place in the sun right now," Olivia said generously.

Cyrus looked at her like she lost her mind. "Mellie is still the same person, Liv, a manipulative bitch harpy from hell. Now, don't get me wrong, I've loved that part about her at the times we were on the same page. But she's the enemy now." Cyrus still plotted to take the ax to any perceived foes that got in the way of the Fitzgerald Grant Administration. The prospect of a rogue Republican Senator who had a personal grudge against the President did not appeal to him. "I wouldn't be surprised if she formed her Presidential Exploratory Committee as soon as they call the election for her in November."

Cyrus sat back down in the lounge chair, running through the political calculations in his mind, painting the likely future. "Well, actually, she'll probably run in six years, because I doubt that any Republican is going to win after Fitz's term right now." Olivia felt her heart drop; _would the public only remember this about him? _

"Langston will run in two years, but she's not going to win. People are sick of us right now. I've heard a lot of talk about that Senator from Chicago who gave the keynote at the Democratic National Convention. I wouldn't be surprised if he entered the race and made a good show." Cyrus sighed, "Yes, I'm afraid we've entered the lame duck period a little ahead of schedule." Cyrus noticed Olivia's pained expression and reached out to put a hand on her shoulder and gave a wry smile. "Relax, Liv, it happens in every Administration, it's just happening a little earlier for us."

Olivia sat silently for awhile and watched Maya trying to imitate Ella playing patty-cake. "Fitz asked me to marry him." Cyrus gave a gentle smile, "Yeah, I figured he would. Cold feet, huh?"

"It's complicated. I mean, there's never been a President who has divorced in office, much less married his mistress. Everything we do will be scrutinized. Maya's face will be plastered in magazines. Oh God, would I have to play White House hostess?" Olivia shook her head in horror. Olivia looked on the verge of tears, "Everything I've ever worked on, all the good work that he's ever done. No one will remember that. The only thing they'll remember is this," she made a vague gesture to herself. "I just wish things were . . ."

"No, Olivia," Cyrus lost his smile and looked serious. He leaned forward and looked her in the eyes. "You can't go back and change things just because that you wish it were different. There are no do-overs, you know this. All you can do now is move forward. You're Olivia Pope, and you damn well better not let this mess define you. You are one of the smartest, most competent people I know and I refuse to believe this is what breaks you." Cyrus lay back in his chair again and remained silent for a bit. Then said, contemplatively, "Who knows what the future will bring? When the dust settles, we've accomplished a lot and history may even acknowledge that. The narrative of the political landscape changes all the time."

Cyrus turned to Olivia and said sincerely, "You know me, if I thought that you not having anything to with him would help this administration in any way, I'd book your passage back to whatever backwaters country you were hiding out before this. But that ship has sailed and if the reason you don't want to marry him is because you think that somehow helps him, then you are a fool. If you don't love him, then say no. If you can't deal with the media crap, then say no. I'll just tell you something that a good friend of mine once told me; it's not complicated. If you want to be with the man you love, be with him."


	15. Chapter 15: Fitz and Olivia

**Thanks everyone for sticking with me and I'm sorry it's been so long. Real life caught up with me with a vengeance. This chapter got so long, I've split it in two. I'm still finishing up the second half which will be Chapter 16 but I will publish it on Friday, after the new Scandal. That one is turning out to be over 4,000 words. This thing is turning into a monster! Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated. **

Chapter 15: Fitz and Olivia

"I can't believe how blatant he is! I mean to set his mistress up at the First Family country retreat? Our tax dollars used to create his . . . his . . love shack, it's disgraceful!" He wasn't sure why he was bothering himself with this crap. Maybe he should have just take the lead from Olivia and turn off the television and ignore everything. Instead, he sat at his chair with his feet propped up on his desk and a remote in his hand, catching up with all the Sunday morning news shows and assessing how much they crucified him. He was use to taking all kinds of grief for his domestic and foreign policy decisions, but this was another matter. It was kind of a surreal experience, having every aspect of his love and family life dissected by a panel of political talking heads. He was almost tempted to call Bill Clinton, whose office did reach out to him at the height of the hostage crisis. However, party politics made him leery of showing any sign of weakness.

"Well, obviously the mother and child need protection, where else would they go?" _Jesus fucking Christ, _he didn't need a panel of strangers in his head. His secret service agents already briefed him on the threats made against him, Olivia and Maya this week. Most of them were just your garden variety wingnut, spouting some vile, racist rhetoric but ultimately not a credible danger. Still, other threats were chillingly specific and shook him to the bone. He turned off the television and moved to the window. He felt an instant sense of calm seeing Olivia swimming on her back in the pool with Maya on her chest laughing, knowing that they were safe. He should be out there, but Olivia's reaction to his proposal scared him. He couldn't help but think that in their next real conversation, Olivia would announce she wanted to leave. He tried to put aside his anger and disappointment and give her time to process things, but he never was a patient man. He wanted his life to start now, and Olivia had to be a part of it. Why couldn't she just accept it? All of the fateful decisions, the passion, the misunderstandings, all of it lead to this inevitable moment. She must know that they were meant to be together.

Fitz shook himself out of his reverie and tried to put in a few more phone calls before he called it a day. Later that afternoon, Fitz finally emerged from his office with Buckley walking beside him as usual. Buckley spotted a squirrel in the meadow and then took off chasing it into the woods. Olivia and Maya had moved from the pool to the upper terrace of the Aspen Lodge. Olivia absently read a book while Maya drew multi-colored circles on construction paper with her crayons. Seeing Olivia and Maya casually engaging in such mundane activities made him feel like a true domestic life was just within his reach. Fitz kissed the top of Maya's head and hunkered down next to her. "What's this Maya? What are you drawing?" Maya smiled and pointed to Olivia. "That's your Mommy? Yes, I can see the resemblance. She's very criclely." Olivia smiled at the exchanged. She had imagined Fitz interacting with his daughter a thousand times, but the reality was much sweeter. Fitz looked at Olivia and gently smiled back. He picked up Maya, removed her booster seat and sat back in the chair with her in his lap. She resumed her drawing.

"I have to go back to the White House tomorrow. I'll fly back here sometime midweek." Fitz hesitated and carefully watched Olivia's reaction, "Jerry is going to be here Friday. Teddy and his nanny are coming Saturday." A wave of panic hit Olivia, but she tried to not let it show. She nodded her head and attempted to smile, hoping it didn't come out like a grimace. She thought she could handle little Teddy, who was the same age as Ella. Since Ella and Maya got along so well, she was eager to see the two siblings interact.

It spoke well of Jerry that he initiated the plan of seeing his little sister. Olivia liked Jerry when she got to know him on the campaign trail. The kids would show up at some special events, and Jerry would ask off the wall, goofball questions that made him endearing to Olivia. He was sweet and polite and unusually perceptive about people. But that was six years ago. At sixteen, Jerry wasn't a little kid anymore and according to the media at least, she was the home wrecker that destroyed his family. "Is this ok, Liv," Fitz asked apprehensively.

"Sure," she said a little too brightly. She saw his face fall with disappointment and felt awful. "No, really, Fitz. I'm looking forward to meeting Teddy and seeing Jerry again. I'm not going to lie and say I don't feel nervous, but I want Maya to know her siblings and I'll get over it."

Fitz reached his hand out to Olivia's. She grasped it tightly. "Jerry told me that he really liked you during the campaign. He's a good kid and I know you two are going to hit it off. And Teddy, well, he's a real charmer. I'm kind of nervous that he already seems to have the political ability to win over crowds." Fitz hugged Maya a little tighter on his lap as she squirmed. "I think these two will get along great."

"What's going on with Karen," Olivia inquired, her brow creased with concern. Fitz sighed, "Well, I actually did get her on the phone this morning, so that's something. And she gave short, one word answers as opposed to screaming tirades at me, so that's another. She's going to Texas this coming weekend. I told her that I'd like to see her in a couple of weeks and she didn't say no, so I guess that's progress." Fitz tried to laugh it off, but it hurt to think that his little girl, who once thought he could do no wrong, would barely talk to him now. He caressed Maya's head, vowing that the same thing would not happen with her. Olivia could see this bothered him greatly and squeezed his hand. "She'll come around eventually, Fitz. You just need to give her time."

"Yes, I guess I should give her time. However, I can't help feeling that if I give her more space, that's just more distance we'll have to make up again." He looked directly in Olivia's eyes, trying to discern what was going on behind them.

Suddenly, she felt self-conscious and broke off contact. Time. Everything seemed to be happening so fast right now. A couple of weeks ago, she was living a completely different life and thought she probably wouldn't ever see Fitz again. She couldn't believe that she was actually here, back in the United States, contemplating a future with Fitz and their daughter. Taking time lead to best laid plans, and it seemed that her best laid plans always went wrong in her personal life. Time wasn't her friend. When it came to Fitz, she was happiest when she stopped thinking and just acted. She trusted her instincts time and again when she worked as a fixer, but she often let her head talk her out of the crazy things she wanted to do in her relationship with Fitz. Her heart was telling her to just go for it and take the plunge, but her head kept on telling her she needed to be practical about the matter. She spent the better half of the afternoon convincing herself that she needed to take Maya away from D.C. and the crazy storm that would descend on her as soon as she left Camp David.

When Fitz wanted to go on a walk, she told him that she was feeling tired and that he should just go with Maya. Fitz flashed a look of frustration, then smiled tightly, gave her a quick kiss and picked up Maya. "Come on, Maya, let's go find Buckley," Fitz said as he picked her up. She needed to figure out what she was going to do next. She decided to look online at some housing options. She sat down in front of the guest computer and used the pass code to access the internet. She stared at the screen for awhile, took a deep breath and clicked on the browser.

The first thing she saw on the search engine was a headline with a stock photo of her, many years earlier when she still worked as the White House Communications Director. "President's Mistress Recovers at Camp David." She hovered the mouse over the article, but didn't click on it and spent the next hour researching locations.


	16. Chapter 16: Olivia and Fitz

**Wow, wasn't last night's episode amazing? Loved that hospital scene where they laid everything out. That's exactly the reason I started writing fanfic in the first place. Poor Huck and his missing family! And you know that Olivia's past is going to be incredibly interesting to explore. I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's crazy long and I did wrestle with it for awhile, I blame the new episodes and the preview for the 752 episode that gave me new ideas. Please give me feedback, I really do appreciate it. **

Chapter 16: Olivia & Fitz

When Fitz and Maya returned from their walk, they all had dinner at their lodge and were joined by Cyrus, James and Ella. James kept the conversation alive, telling funny stories about Ella and his early days of being a foot-loose journalist. Olivia tried to get Maya to eat her peas, but she was having none of it tonight. James sharply clanked the side of his fork on his wine glass and said, "I just want to give a toast to Olivia and Maya. We were all very worried about you, and it feels so good seeing you both home. Anyway, I'm glad I was able to help out, and I'm sure you'll give me exclusive rights one day to tell your story, right," he said with a laugh. "James, don't you dare even _think_ about it," Cyrus said with an edge in his voice. James continued, "In all seriousness, I feel honored to have helped out in anyway and to have witnessed the formation of a new family. I feel blessed, so thank you and cheers."

Everyone raised a glass and gave cheers. Olivia looked at Fitz and smiled, but he remained guarded in his expression. Fitz wondered what was really going on in her head; did she think they were a family? If so, why wouldn't she give him an answer? Fitz had not said anything about the marriage proposal since he asked. Neither of them discussed where she was going to live now. He wanted her to stay at Camp David until they were married, where he knew she and Maya were protected and he could easily get away from the White House and be with them. Maybe he just went about it the wrong way. He should have given her a ring, but somehow he didn't think she would appreciate it without him being officially divorced. He instructed his attorneys in California to file first thing in the morning and that meant that he could get a divorce decree six months later. It would hit the news cycle in the 11 o'clock hour.

After Cyrus and his brood left, Fitz took Maya into the living room and read her some children's books that had been brought from the White House. Olivia joined them there, trying to read her own book, but instead became fascinated by watching father and daughter bond. Maya cuddled with him on his chest and as soon as he was done with one book, she put another one in front of him to read. When Maya settled down and placed a hand on his cheek, Olivia knew that she would sleep soon because that was her tell. Sure enough, her eyes got very heavy and her breathing deepened. She was out by the time Fitz finished. "Good night stars. Good night air. Good night noises, everywhere." Fitz stroked Maya's back for awhile and just sat there while she slept.

Olivia went over and picked the little girl up, saying that she was going to put her to bed. Maya woke up for a moment when Olivia changed her clothes, but she soon fell fast asleep again. Olivia sat down in one of the chairs and just watched her sleep for a bit. It was just the two of them for so long, but it didn't have to be. Being here with Fitz felt good and right, however it really couldn't last, could it? The reality of the world would crash around them at any moment bringing with it all of its misery. She needed to make her move.

She found Fitz in their room, sitting on the couch and staring out the window, although since it was mostly dark outside there wasn't much to see except his own reflection. He didn't turn around when she entered, but he could see a distorted image of her in the glass. _Here it comes, _he thought, bracing himself for the inevitable.

"I think it's time that I find a place for me and Maya." She stood a distance away from him, preparing for the heated exchange.

Fitz stood up and faced her. He didn't say anything at first, just crossed his arms and shook his head with a brittle smile. "I knew it. I knew it was a mistake. "God damn it," his voice grew louder and more strident. "I just knew I shouldn't have pushed it and asked you to marry me yesterday." He couldn't help feeling excited yesterday. So, he threw caution to the wind and asked for what he really wanted. "What an idiot I am," he groaned. "I should have kept my mouth shut. You are going to run again, aren't you?"

"What, what are you talking about? I'm not 'running' anywhere," she felt her defenses rising. "All I'm thinking about a more permanent location for me and Maya."

"Someplace not with me, I take it," he said, bitterly. The look of anxiety and anger in his eyes was too much for her, she broke eye contact with him.

"Fitz look, you are the President. You are still married. I can't just stay here."

"No, you don't get to turn this around on me. I've already told you, I don't care about any of that. I'm filing the divorce tomorrow. I'll do my job, but my personal life is no one's damn business anymore. The only thing that matters to me is that we stick together." He moved towards her and tried a different approach. If he could just make her remember, just establish that connection once again. He took her face in his hands and gave her a desperate kiss. She pulled back and told him to stop.

He could feel all of his dreams slipping away from him once again. "I don't understand," he shook his head, perplexed. "Why does the idea that this could actually happen, the idea that we could actually be together without impossible barriers scare you so much?"

"I'm not scared," Olivia snapped, feeling her hackles rise. "We haven't seen each other for nearly three years. I'm just trying to be realistic about this."

"Olivia, this is reality, it's not ideal, but we can share a life together. It's me and you and everything else can work itself out." Suddenly, a horrible thought dawned on him, "Unless, deep down you liked the fact I was unavailable? You wouldn't have to risk too much. You wouldn't have to lose too much control."

"Fitz, that's not fair at all!" She never felt in control when it came to her feelings for him. She started backing away from him, avoiding eye contact, trying to figure out how to get out of this argument with minimal damage to either of them. "Then why, Liv? I'm asking and I deserve an answer. Why won't you stay with me?" He followed her across the room trying to look in her eyes. He placed his hands on her shoulders, "Look at me, Liv. Just tell me."

"Stop, it! Just stop it!" She continued to move backward.

"Why, Olivia? Just tell me why." He tried to press her, knowing he'd get the truth if she just looked at him.

He literally had her cornered against the wall. She finally relented and looked him directly in the eyes. "Because you could change your mind and leave me," she shouted, angrily pushing him away. He stumbled back, a stunned expression on his face. She was shocked too; she didn't even know she thought it until she voiced it. With that, all of her fears came pouring out of her, "You changed your mind before about being with me, you could change it again and then, where would that leave me? Alone, with all those eyes intent on me. You say you love me now, but that could change. It has changed."

Fitz closed his eyes, feeling like he took a hit right at his heart. He probably deserved it. He sighed, "Livvie, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I pushed you away after I found out about Defiance. I was hurt and angry and terrified about what I had done. I told you that I regretted every day since I let you go. I'll probably spend the rest of my days making it up to you, but please let me."

"It's not just what happened then, Fitz." All the anger left her as she reluctantly started to unpack all of the unstated doubts running around in her head. Fitz watched her warily as she moved towards the couch. She sat down and stared at her reflection in the window, before turning towards him. "You were married to Mellie for over twenty years." Fitz started to object. "No, wait a minute. I know it wasn't an ideal marriage, but it was a marriage. You made a commitment, then you met me and that commitment was broken. What if you change your mind again?"

"So, once a cheat, always a cheat, huh, Liv," Fitz challenged. "I fell in love with you, Olivia, and I truly didn't understand what that meant until I met you. I wasn't looking for a few kicks."

"I know that, Fitz. But people change. I've changed, just in the past couple of years." She thought of how a few years ago she never had even changed a dipper before and now she was a full-time mom. "Who is to say what will happen in the future? When all the excitement has died down and you get annoyed by the way I floss my teeth or eat my food."

"I've seen you floss your teeth and eat your food, you are adorable," he said, trying to lighten the mood. He sat down on the couch next to her but still gave her a little distance.

"But you don't know everything about me and if you did, you may not like it." She thought of all of the dark deeds she had participated in and how these events had shaped her into the person known as Olivia Pope. _If he knew the real me, he'd run. _ "I mean, how much time have we actually spent together in the six years that we've known each other? Hell, we've never even been on a real date, Fitz."

"I know you, Liv." He leaned into her and cupped her face and gazed deeply into her eyes. "You may think I don't, but I do. I know your heart and your spirit. I recognized you from the moment I laid eyes on you. I'm sorry I ever gave you a reason to doubt my love for you." Fitz remembered the night two and a half years ago in this very room when she laid out everything in heart with tears streaming down her face, and he had, with an almost masochistic determination, pushed her away. "You once asked me to see you for who you are and to love you anyway. And I do, Olivia, I see you. There are no more pedestals. I've seen the best in you and the worst, and I love you anyway."

She saw the truth in his eyes and couldn't hold back the floodgates of emotion any longer. She felt the wracking sob come from deep within and she just let it go. Fitz wrapped her in his arms and held her close as she continued to weep. He kissed her forehead and stroked her back and whispered over and over again that he loved her. She hugged him tightly and buried her face in his chest. They stayed like that for a long time until she began to feel a deep peace inside. She finally looked up, and gave him a gentle kiss and smiled.

He smiled back and said, "Olivia, I've got an idea." He gave her a quick kiss and said, "I'll be right back. You may want to freshen up a little," noting her puffy eyes. He got up off the couch and started to head out the door.

"What? Wait. Where are we going," she asked suspiciously. "You'll see. It'll be great, trust me." He gave her a wink as he went out the door.

Awhile later, Olivia found herself in the backseat of the armored SUV Fitz used when he was up at Camp David. He held her hand, comfortably. She felt nervous. She wasn't sure where they were going and this was the first time she went anywhere since she had been rescued. "It's really kind of rude, waking James and Cyrus up and telling them to watch Maya."

"I'm President, I get to be rude." They passed the welcome sign for Thurmont, Maryland, the closest town near the compound and pulled up to a diner. Secret Service agents were already there, having contacted the owner who opened the restaurant back up for them. The owner was probably in his late 60s. He had run the Country Kitchen since he was 30 and had only met one President and that was Fitz. Fitz had been to the diner a couple of times, accompanied only by his Secret Service detail. This was the first time he had taken anyone else with him. The owner greeted them with a friendly smile, shook Fitz's hand and told him that he had been rooting for him lately. Fitz clapped him on the shoulder while he shook his hand with the other and said, "Thank you, Bob." The owner looked at Olivia a little wide-eyed. It could be argued that she was a bigger celebrity than Fitz at that moment. He extended his hand to her and said that he was glad she was home safely. Olivia glanced down, embarrassed and managed to get out a thank you.

"When I heard that you were coming, I put in a fresh apple pie. It should be coming out of the oven soon. Bob guided them to the booth in the back, away from the windows like the Secret Service instructed. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"I'd like a sweet tea, Bob. You, Livvie?" Olivia looked at Fitz, he seemed very relaxed. It reminded her of the campaign trail, where he felt the most comfortable just talking to everyday people. "I'll have the same."

"So, what is this," Olivia inquired.

"It's a date," Fitz stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"A date, huh," she shook her head and smiled. Bob came back with the teas. "You folks want it al la mode?" Olivia nodded, while Fitz said, "that would be great."

"You've got apple pie, sweet tea, and the leader of the free world. What could possibly be a better first date?" Olivia laughed a little, which was the sweetest sound he ever heard. He reached across the table and took both of her hands in his. Olivia stopped smiling and looked around her to see who might be looking. "It's ok, Olivia, it's just us. And even if it wasn't just us, it's still ok." He gave her hands a little squeeze.

"Here you go." Fitz released Olivia's hands as Bob placed a slice of pie in front of each of them. The owner waited expectantly as Fitz took a bite of his pie. "Fantastic, just like I remembered."

Bob turned to Olivia, "This pie has won Best in Show for the past 15 years at the County Fair." Olivia tried it and gave her complements as well. She watched Bob walk away, wondering if he would sell his story about the President and his girlfriend coming in for pie. As they ate their pies, they chatted about small stuff, like how he heard of this place and what kind of desserts she would eat in Yadub.

Fitz took one of her hands again, "Look, Olivia, if you really feel you need your own space right now, we'll talk with Secret Service and see if we can figure something out." He hated to even contemplate it. The idea of Olivia and Maya living at another location that hadn't been specifically designed to protect a President frightened him beyond measure after what had happened to them. Maybe the Secret Service could talk her into staying at Camp David, if he couldn't. "I want you to choose me, Olivia, to choose us. I want _you _to make that decision and not feel like it was imposed on you."

A thousand reasons why she should say no to him crossed her mind and all of them were good and sensible and practical. And it made her miserable to think about any of them. There was only one reason to say yes. It was simple and it was true. She loved him. She always did.

She looked at him and said with a straight face, "OK." Then she looked back down at her pie and took another bite.

"What?" He looked confused. "OK, what?"

She glanced up at him again, "Hmmm?"

"What did you mean by OK?"

"OK, I'll marry you," she looked innocently at him before returning to her pie. A grin spread across his face, "Seriously?"

She looked at him and smiled back, "Yes, seriously." Fitz jumped out of the booth, grabbed her and swung her around in a circle and gave her a deep kiss. When he let her down, Olivia laughed, but she also glanced at the diner's owner to see his reaction. He gave a warm smile. She whispered to Fitz, "You better pay him off well; I don't want this to be the morning headline."

They made their goodbyes and said thank you to the owner. As soon as they were in the backseat of the SUV, Fitz was all over her, nibbling her earlobes, placing sensual kisses on her neck and her jaw and exploring her mouth with his tongue. When he started to put his hand down her pants, she stopped him. "No, we are not having sex in this car, Fitz." He made a muffled sound of disappointment.

"I need to use your phone." Everything became crystal clear and she knew exactly what she needed to do. Fitz gave her a puzzled look, "Who are you calling? It's pretty late on a Sunday." He knew that she really didn't have a family to speak of to share the news. "I'm calling Harrison, and this isn't that late. He's probably still at the office. Do you think you can contact your lawyers and tell them to wait until Tuesday to file the paperwork? Or do you think Mellie will try to file tomorrow too?"

Fitz just stared at her, realizing that he was watching her transform into Ms. Olivia Pope, Crisis Manager before his eyes. It was almost like watching Superman put on his cape. He couldn't help but smile and shake his head. "No, she'll wait until I make a move."

"Good, then we'll make our move first." She held out her hand for his phone and he promptly handed it to her. "Hi, hello, how are you, Harrison. I need your help."

They talked to Cyrus briefly when they got back to the compound in their living room. Cyrus was going to stay at Camp David the next day and work with Liv and Harrison on the media strategy regarding the divorce. Fitz wanted to stay as well, but Olivia firmly told him no, that he needed to go back to the White House and be presidential but that they would stay in close contact. Cyrus soon made his way back to his cabin.

Fitz felt wired. Everything was about to change and he was so ready for it. "I didn't get a chance to go swimming with you today, Livvie. Let's go." He wrapped his arms around her, placed his hands on her behind and lifted her slightly so she could feel his arousal. "You are incorrigible, Fitz." He responded by probing the depths of her mouth. "I want to explore every part of this compound with you."

"Explore, huh?" Olivia raised a quizzical brow. "Let me check on Maya first."

They put on their swimming suits and a part of her wondered why they were even bothering with the pretext. It was a full moon that night which gave them plenty of light to swim. It had not reached the height of summer yet and the cool mountain air made her grateful that the pool was heated. Olivia jumped in the pool and began to swim a lap when Fitz grabbed her by the waist. She shrieked with laughter and tried to escape, but he had a firm lock on her and his feet solidly planted on the pool floor. So instead she kissed him, tasting a bit of the chlorine water on his lips. She wrapped her legs around his waist and could feel his hard erection rub against her clitoris with only their suits separating them. Fitz pulled down the straps of her swimsuit, when he came to her breasts he had to savor each of her nipples as they peaked just above the surface of the water. He continued to pull down her suit on either side of her body. She then placed her feet on each of his thighs and pushed off, leaving him holding an empty suit. She mocked him and swam as fast as she could to the shallow end.

He caught her on the steps of the pool. He pinned her down and kissed her, his questing tongue touching the roof of her mouth. He sucked her tongue when she began to explore his own lips. He used his fingers to delicately rub the folds of her labia. The combination of the water and his light touch made her groan with pleasure. She wrapped both of her legs around his waist, pushed one hand on his chest and used her other as leverage on the stairs and flipped him so he was the one sitting on the steps. She tugged off his swim trunks and straddled him, guiding him inside of her. She started to move up and down on top of him, feeling the water flow between their bodies. She held on to his shoulders and then lifted her legs and placed each foot on the edge of the pool, curling her toes on the concrete.

With one hand he held her by the small of her back, the other dug into her hip. Between his grunts, he told her to relax and lie back. He then grabbed her thighs and held her in place as she leaned back. She held on to the back of his calves to stabilize herself. Her ears were submerged under the water so all that she could hear was her own breath and heartbeat. He pulled her back and forth again and again, the water cooling him as he grew more heated inside. He then pulled her up and flipped her so he was again on top; he kneeled before her as she held on to the side of the pool. She wrapped her thighs around his waist again and felt him pulsing inside of her. He slipped a hand between them and rubbed her little nub of nerves until she went off like a rocket. He soon joined her, thrusting a few more times before he was spent. Their lovemaking was so vigorous that they both took a minute to cool down.

He kissed her shoulder and she wrapped her arms around his neck and head. Olivia gave him a kiss and looked in his eyes, shinning in the moonlight, "I love you, Fitz. When I was alone in the dark, that's what kept me going. You were right, I am scared. I'm scared of the attention, scared of what this is going to mean for my life and Maya's. But I'm not scared of you and I'm not scared of us. You belong to me and I belong to you and I know we're in this together."

Fitz looked a little stunned at first and then he broke out into a huge grin. "Together," was all he said.

"Together," she repeated, never feeling more confident of anything in her life. And they sealed that promise with a kiss.


	17. Chapter 17: Harrison

**A/N: And I'm back! Sorry for the slow update. I should have the next chapter up by this weekend. Thanks for your continued support! Feedback is life!**

When Harrison hustled cars and put himself through school he never imagined that one day he'd be riding in armored government issued limo to Camp David. The Secret Service only allowed him to bring three other associates. He chose Abby, Lauren and Huck. He debated whether to bring Quinn considering that Olivia didn't even know Lauren Tsang. But Lauren was hired for her PR skills and insider knowledge, and that's exactly what they needed at this point. There was no real reason to bring Huck to this meeting other than he looked particularly worse for wear since getting the information they needed from Charlie. Harrison thought that seeing Olivia again might be good for the ex-CIA man.

It was a quiet car ride that started around 6 am. Abby sat with her arms crossed and a weary expression on her face. He couldn't blame her; they were all tired since the madness of Olivia Pope's kidnapping began. Lauren spent the whole time scribbling notes on a legal pad, and occasionally checked her phone for messages. Harrison sporadically read through the headlines on his phone, but mostly he looked out the window as they left the city and made their way to rural mountains of Maryland only an hour away. Huck sat mostly still with his eyes closed and his arms wrapped around his chest.

When they arrived, secret service agents patted them down, sent them through a scanner and used a hand-held metal detector on each individual. They paid particular attention to Huck. At the base of the camp there were golf cars that would take them through the compound. They drove to a large cabin that was called the Laurel Lodge. Harrison felt the weight of history pressing down once they entered the complex. This is where peace between Israel and Egypt was hammered out, where hundreds of world leaders sat down and discussed how to improve the global economy, where secret deals among nations were cemented with a handshake. Now, he was there contributing his part to story of this nation in helping to shape the narrative of the first President who will divorce while in office. An aid took them to a small conference room.

Cyrus was already in the room, he glanced up from his laptop and waved and then went back to what he was working on. Without looking up again, he said "The President and Ms. Pope will be joining us shortly. The President will only be here for about an hour and then he has to go back to the White House, so don't waste his time. You can grab some coffee, tea and some breakfast and have a seat. Passcodes for internet access are on the sheet located in front of you."

Harrison put on a bright smile and shook his head. Cyrus was a typical D.C insider who reeked of privilege. The kind of man who wanted to let you know how insignificant you were in the end, even if you saved his ass and his boss' on multiple occasions. Harrison made himself some tea and grabbed a muffin and a banana. They all settled down in their seats and waited. At first, Harrison was told that the President wouldn't be joining them at all. He guessed that the boss must have changed his mind.

Ten minutes later, Olivia and President Grant arrived. She looked different, and yet the same. Olivia had lost weight and the bruises on her face were fading. They were nothing like the shocking video of her that kept on playing when the hostage situation first broke. Her hair was curly and came down to her shoulders. Her clothes were obviously not her own. He refused to believe she'd wear plain slightly big khaki pants and a plain blue t-shirt if she had a choice. The lady needed to shop. She gave them all a glowing smile and immediately gave Huck a big hug and whispered something in his ear. She then greeted each of her former colleagues with a warm embrace. Olivia shook Lauren's hand when Harrison introduced her.

"I can't tell you what an honor it is to meet you, Ms. Pope," Lauren gushed. "I've been an admirer of your work for many years."

"Thank you," Liv said graciously. "Have you met the President?" Grant had been holding back, he then stepped up and greeted Lauren.

After a few more greetings, Grant said to everyone, "Let's get to it, shall we?" He put his hand at the small of Olivia's back and guided her to a seat. The President held the chair out for her and then casually captured her hand on the table. He was clearly giving signals to anyone who noticed to _back off, she's mine._ It was strange seeing anyone act like that with Olivia. She wasn't Olivia Pope, the Fixer, but rather someone's woman. Grant didn't take his eyes off of her. Harrison had seen an anxious man the last time he saw Grant, but he wasn't quite sure if that stemmed from a general affection for an old flame or just concern about how it would affect his presidency.

Now it was obvious, this man had it bad for Olivia. She turned to the President and gave him a smile that seemed to radiate from her whole being. _Whoa._ In the many years that he had known her, Harrison had _never _seen her look like that about anything or anyone. _This is a love story._ Harrison kept that thought in the back of his mind for future use.

Harrison cleared his voice, "Well, as we talked about last week, Mr. President, we want to set up a exclusive interview with Kimberly Mitchell. We are thinking this Thursday if you file your papers tomorrow. We book the interview the same day, they spend Wednesday promoting it, she does the interview with you on Thursday and that will dominate for the rest of the news cycle."

"I'm doing the interview with him," Olivia stated. The President was still holding her left hand, and then she clasped her right hand on top of his. "Are you sure you want to do this, Liv," Harrison questioned. "This will be about the divorce, not the hostage situation; maybe you'd want to stay out of it for now."

"That's why I want to do it," Olivia said without hesitation. "I can take some of the heat away from the divorce. I'll be the distraction. They'll want to hear my story."

Grant turned to Olivia and with a look of concern he wondered, "Livvie, maybe it's too soon. You might need some more time to recover. I can do this on my own."

"I'm fine, really." Olivia stroked his hand reassuringly. "You've already answered some questions on your own, and in the end, they are going to want to find out more about me. I might as well bite the bullet and do it."

Abby cleared her throat and then launched off in her typical fashion, "You've already told the First Lady that you are filing the papers tomorrow, right?" Harrison could see President Grant bristle at Abby's tone. "Considering that we've been planning to divorce for over two years, I don't think this will come as a surprise to her."

Abby stood up and gathered her research papers and moved to the white board. She slapped a picture of a clean-cut man with a big white shinny teeth and perfectly groomed hair onto the board. "Congressman from Missouri. Wife claimed she was 'embarrassed and devastated' to learn that her husband was divorcing her through the media. Husband claimed that they had been discussing it for 'months' and it should have not come as a big surprise to her. He was defeated in his re-election by 15 points."

She grabbed another picture of a beaming politician with a flag in the background and banged it on the board. "Senator from Georgia, wife claimed that she heard about the divorce on television. Three years later she testified in a Senate Ethics Committee investigation about some bribes he took. This cost him tens of thousands of dollars, his reputation and his Senate seat."

Abby slapped another famous picture on the board, "Mayor Gulliani, had a series of affairs. His wife went public and a bitter divorce ensued. He had to pull out of a Senate race he was favored to win before the divorce announcement. His girlfriend became the de-facto First Lady of New York and his reputation was in tatters until 9/11 happened to rehabilitate him."

"Ok, Abby, that's enough. We get it." Olivia used the same tone she did when she was still Abby's boss to shut her down.

"You sure, I've got dozens more I could use," Abby asked with a straight face.

"Divorce is a problem with American politicians. Very insightful research, Ms. Whelan," the President said dryly. He begrudgingly added, "I'll call Mellie tonight and give her the heads up on the filing."

Olivia sighed and rubbed her neck, "What's the polling been like, Cy?" Grant almost unconsciously placed one hand on the back of her neck and gently massaged it.

Cyrus read the numbers off his laptop with a clipped, sharp voice, "Approval ratings at 29 %, Disapproval at 58%, better than I expected, actually. You are higher than Nixon, George W. Bush or Truman at the height of their various controversies. You are about the same as Carter before he tanked his re-election bid. Clinton reached his highest approval ratings after the impeachment proceedings because the general public was on his side." Cyrus gave a short laugh and said, "If we are lucky, maybe this will improve your ratings."

He then sighed, "But of course, he didn't get a divorce. If we can get you up to the low 40s again, we might be able to still pass some legislation or get through nominations. However, these numbers are after you successfully solved the crisis between the United Arabic Provinces and Omarain and before you've filed for divorce, so they might just tank altogether." Cyrus then proceeded to show them a power point presentation of all the statistics broken down by region, gender and age.

"OK, so the numbers are fairly grim, but workable," Olivia concluded. She turned to Harrison and asked, "Cy said you had some dirt on Mellie, what is it?"

_Well, well, well, she's going there. _For some reason, Harrison thought she would want hands off with Mellie. He didn't know why this surprised him, she never held back when she worked for clients, why would she hold back now? "Well, in the general dirt category, it appears that she helped her Dad out by hiding some funds in tax shelters and real estate in her name when he was being sued a few years ago. Also, it looks like she recently traded some appearances for campaign cash and did not report it to the FCC. That might be good fodder for her Senate opponent."

He looked at President Grant and hesitated a moment before revealing, "Twinkle Toes was real. She really had an affair with Paul Mosely for about two years before and during the campaign and we have evidence to prove it." Not a flicker of jealousy crossed Grant's face. He just raised his eyebrows and looked slightly amused. "Now we did get them to back off when they were leaking out trash talk about you and Olivia, but the President has instructed us not to let us leak the information to the press."

"I want to divorce Mellie, not wallow in petty squabbles." Grant seemed slightly annoyed by the direction of the conversation.

Olivia squeezed Grant's hand to placate him, "Fitz, I know. But we need to put everything on the table and see if we can and should use it. It's not petty if it's the truth and it counters something that she might bring up. We won't use it unless you agree, ok?"

"No, I get it Olivia. I'm a practical person, if she stands in my way, I'll destroy her," Grant spoke dispassionately, like he was talking about snails that were eating too many of his plants in the backyard. "Anything else?"

"Uh, we think she knew about your affair." Harrison continued, "We've got some unverified reports that she knew about it when Olivia worked for the White House."

"She knew about it," Olivia confirmed. "She confronted me and basically told me to continue the affair to keep the President focused. It's one of the reasons I left the White House." Harrison was stunned by this new revelation. Despite all his years circling around the inner workings of Washington, he still occasionally would get surprised by the lengths people would go to hold on to power. He had to ask, "Do we have anyone besides you that could confirm that?"

"When Olivia and I were on the outs, she tried to schedule a rendezvous for us without me realizing it so I could sleep better." The President shook his head, "It's one thing to have an affair, it's quite another to have your wife try to encourage it. It shocked the hell out of me. She didn't understand that it wasn't about sex."

Harrison heard Abby stifle a laugh. _Everything is about sex, _he skeptically thought. "Well, that's a start. Let's see if we can get a third party that is less likely to have bias confirm it."

Olivia sighed with dissatisfaction, "This is not enough. We need something more. We need a smoking gun, something that will really resonate with the general public."

"I've got some better dirt than anything you've brought so far. I don't want to use it because it could hurt my kids," Grant offered reluctantly. "After Teddy was born I had some nanny cams installed in his bedroom with audio. I thought Mellie knew about it, but I guess she didn't. We got into one of our typical arguments when Teddy was out of the room with his nurse. She went off on how she gave up her law practice and had children she didn't want for my career. She went on a sustained rant about how nasty small children were. I made sure I got a copy the tape after that fight."

Harrison felt a sense of giddy joy rising in him. "Oh, this is good. This is perfect," he exclaimed, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "This is every campaign manager's worst political nightmare: The Mom of America's Baby hates her kids. That actually could affect her Senate race. We've totally got her!"

"We are not using it unless we absolutely have to. I don't want my kids to be hurt more than they already are," Grant stated firmly. He then asked the group, "What else do you got?"

At this point, Lauren interjected, "After you've done your exclusive with Kim this Thursday, we want the President to do the Full Ginsburg this weekend." A Full Ginsburg meant that one person would appear on all the Sunday morning talk shows the same day. Ginsburg was the attorney for Monica Lewinsky and was the first one who accomplished this rare feat. "In addition to the five talk shows in English, we want to do the talk shows on Spanish language stations Telemundo and Univision."

Harrison followed up, "This will involve some intense preparation, probably as much as you prepared for one of your debates."

"I can't do it this weekend, my kids are coming," Grant firmly stated.

Lauren gave an audible sound of disappointment and Harrison couldn't blame her. He tried to be a little more diplomatic, "Sir, with all due respect, we need to get out there with everything we have now. Last week, the resolution of the hostage situation and the conflict between the countries where it took place dominated the news cycle. This week, it'll be all about you, Mellie and Olivia. We need to set the narrative now, before any further damage is done. If we don't book those talk shows after you've filed, you can bet Mellie and her people will."

"That's not an option," Grant stated with clear eyes. "My kids come before the narrative."

Harrison started scrambling; this was going to throw off their entire plan. "Well, maybe we could get your lawyers to push the filing until next Monday, and then let the next week play out as we planned for this week. But waiting a week is a long time; anything could happen between now and then."

Olivia had quietly been taking in what everyone said for the past few minutes and then put out another option, "Why don't you go ahead file next week and take this week to talk Mellie into issuing a generic joint statement about the divorce? You've got enough ammo to sink her campaign if she goes off script. Hammer something out so it just looks like a typical divorce that over half of married couples in the United States experience anyway." Harrison loved seeing his old boss in action again, as she gathered all of the information and came up with a workable solution. He missed this.

Olivia continued, "Fitz, you said you and Mellie had been planning this for over two years, we can start leaking out details of the plan now. If people knew that the divorce was already in the making and it wasn't exclusively because of . . .," Olivia stumbled on her words here. Harrison guessed it must be hard to know that she _was_ the catalyst for the whole thing. "Because of what happened in the last couple of weeks, then the narrative will be that the marriage was ending anyway."

Grant remained silent for a minute, his fingertips touching each other in the form of a steeple in front of his chin. He then reached a decision and said, "Let's do it." He gave Olivia a quick kiss, which caught her by surprise. She looked around her former colleagues sheepishly. _That girl is so gone, _Harrison thought, shaking his head. Grant put his arm casually around her shoulders and gave her another kiss on the cheek. _They are both so gone. _Grant would get in touch with his lawyers and then would speak with Mellie and her lawyers later on. After hammering out some more details, the President excused himself to leave for the White House while the rest of the associates, Cyrus and Olivia stayed on to start executing the plan.

Around 12 o'clock, they all walked up to the Presidential Lodge to have lunch. James Novak, former reporter and husband to the White House Chief of Staff greeted them while two little girls chased each other in the background. Olivia called out her daughter's name and went to scoop her up. "This is Maya, everyone." The little girl grew silent and buried her head in her mother's chest and stuck two fingers in her mouth. She was a beautiful little girl. She had a head full of soft, curly brown hair and her skin was a rich caramel color. She had stunning large blue eyes that seemed alert to all her surroundings. Harrison never imagined Olivia as a mother. While she always projected an aura of femininity, he never saw her really date or express any interest in motherhood as far as he could tell. She was the fiercest, most intelligent person he knew whose name invoked fear and admiration in some of the most powerful people in Washington. But now, in this place, she looked like an ordinary mother.

As Abby said hello to the little girl, she looked like she was inspecting a strange new bug never seen before. Lauren was typically sweet to the child trying to coax her into saying something, but that just made the little girl shyer. Huck said hi and faded into the background with a haunted look on his face. Harrison watched Olivia and Maya as everyone had lunch and made small talk. Maya sat on her mother's lap. She picked up each strawberry from Olivia's plate one by one, examined them intensely and then plopped them in her mouth. Their lives had been completely uprooted in the past few weeks and it wouldn't stop. They would never escape the media spotlight. Every top news story for the past few weeks had their names and images plastered on it. Camp David was a little oasis, where the media couldn't penetrate. But it was a bubble that would not be sustained once they stepped out into the real world. The President may have it bad right now, but these two would have it much worse.

"Olivia, have you seen any of the media, yet," Harrison asked bluntly. She seemed caught off guard by the question. "Well, I got a brief summary of some of the top news stories about Fitz this morning by one of the White House aides. I haven't yet examined it, but I'll get to it this afternoon," she said and then turned her attention to her the little girl in her lap. "Maya, that's enough strawberries. Can you take a bite of the sandwich? Thank you."

"No, Liv, I meant about you. Have you seen the stories about you," Harrison gently probed.

"Ah, I saw a headline when I got on the computer the other day. Old picture, not very flattering," Olivia half-heartedly joked. "I didn't read the article yet."

"Olivia, you say you want to do a joint interview with Fitz," Harrison's voice grew stern. He took on the tone of how he would talk to any wayward client. "You've got to find out what they are saying about you."

Olivia sighed, "Yes, I know. I know it's probably bad. They have probably called me a whore, a jezebel, a seductress who broke up America's family. Maybe this was all an elaborate conspiracy to get her man back. I haven't looked because I have a vivid imagination."

"It's not all bad, Liv. There are a lot of people who are defending you out there, you know," Harrison informed her. "Some people say that the President took advantage of his position."

"And that's a lie as well," Olivia snapped, her voice rising. "I was not some poor helpless victim seduced by some evil powerful man. I fell in love with a man and I had my eyes wide open the whole time." Her daughter started fidgeting and looked a little distressed by her mother's tone.

Harrison tried to smooth things over, "I get it, Olivia. You love him, I respect that. I just wanted you to know that we are doing this for _you_, not for Grant. We care about you, _your _reputation and about how _you _are treated in the media." Olivia smiled, but it did not reach her eyes. If he didn't know any better, he could swear she was about to cry. Instead, she grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Well, then, I guess we've got a lot of work to do, don't we?"

"And we'll do it. We'll fix this. We've got you covered, Liv," Harrison said confidently. And it was no lie. He was determined that this would be his master case; that everything he had done in his life as a crisis manager had led him to solve this problem, for his former boss, for his friend, for the person who saved him when he needed it most.


	18. Chapter 18: Olivia & Fitz

**Season Finale tonight! I'm excited and nervous. Don't mess up Olitz, please! They've been doing so well the past couple of episodes. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Once again, I appreciate feedback, or even if you just want to talk about the show, PM me! **

Chapter 18: Olivia & Fitz

The first thing she felt was his teeth gently grazing her nipple. She gasped a little, "Wha . . ." Her words were cut off by his lips. "Shhh, Livvie, it's alright," he breathed into her mouth. She didn't remember where she was at first. She thought for a moment she was back at her house in Yadub having a good dream. She felt his tongue plunge the depths of her mouth and his hand trace down her stomach and underneath her silk pajama bottoms. His fingers delicately separated her slit and a rush of pleasure went through her body as he found her sensitive nub and stroked her there. Her hand moved to the back of his neck and she felt the collar of his starched shirt. He hadn't even taken off his jacket yet. She was only half-awake but she started to loosen his tie as he devoured her mouth. He moved down her body and settled his head down between her thighs. She didn't remember him taking off her pajamas.

She felt his tongue start at the top of her slit and push its way into her folds. He explored every crease of her and lapped up her damp warmth. His tongue plunged into her opening and then raked across her until he found the little nub of a thousand nerve endings. When he sucked it into his mouth, she let out a moan from deep within her. The intensity of his attention was almost too much. She grabbed his head in her hands and clutched his curly hair tightly. She tried to pull him up, but Fitz continued on his single-minded task of thoroughly pleasuring Olivia Pope. Her heels tapped on his back, still jacket-covered, as he brought her to a peak and she cried out his name.

He then moved up her body and started to unbuckle his belt. Olivia helped him with the task, pushed down his pants and boxers, and guided his cock into her ready depths. She pushed down his clothes further and grabbed his firm ass as he plunged into her, his balls slapping against her with a steady pace. His tongue probed her mouth like they probed the heart of womanhood earlier. She began to reach another climax as he increased his speed, pumping into her with a frenzied urgency until he finally lost all control and burst within her.

She held his head and kissed his ear and then whispered, "Hi, Fitz, nice to see you." She could almost see him smile in the dark as he kissed her once again on the mouth. "Hi, Livvie."

"I thought you weren't coming back until Thursday," she said as she shimmed her hand underneath his shirt and jacket to feel the muscles of his back. He was still inside her as he propped himself up by one arm to finish taking off his tie. "I just had to see you tonight," he said as he struggled to take off his jacket with one hand. Olivia helped out of it and started unbuttoning his shirt.

"You know, the press is going to start tallying the costs of you taking Marine One up to Camp David," she couldn't help herself, she was knee deep in figuring out public perceptions this week.

"I don't care," he stated stubbornly. "I just got you back. I want to be with my family." Her heart leapt at how casually he mentioned that they were family. She felt it too, even though she had no ring or paper that claimed he was hers. For the first time ever, she felt like she had a home and that she belonged. "We could move you and Maya into the White House. That would cut down on fuel and late night booty calls."

Olivia smirked, "No late night booty calls at the White House? That doesn't seem like much fun."

"Well, there would be booty," Fitz said as he grabbed her ass and rolled them so she was lying on top of him. "And it would probably be late night, sometimes, but there would be no need to call." He nuzzled her neck and gave her a quick kiss on the mouth. "You'd just be there." He kissed her again, this time slower, tasting her with his tongue.

"That can't happen until at least the divorce, Fitz," she said a little wistfully. She didn't want to spoil the mood, but she also didn't want to entertain impossible notions. "Yes, it could," he said as he nibbled her ear. He knew how she would respond, but he was hoping he could distract her into agreeing with him.

Olivia was doing her best to stay focused on what he was saying. "Fitz, you know that the public handling of the divorce is going to be difficult enough without moving your mistress in the White House before you've have even filed."

"Stop calling yourself that, Livvie. You are my everything. I would work better knowing you are near, regardless of whether the papers have been filed or not." _Filing the divorce papers. _He sighed; there was nothing he wanted to do more. It almost seemed like he was never going to get those damn things filed. He planned on filing them on Monday, then after consulting Olivia's old crisis management team that got pushed into next week. Before he left the White House that night, he finally had his first real conversation with Mellie since the whole crisis began. For a day and a half, Mellie's lawyers and his lawyers did the dance of negotiation, not putting all the cards on the table to game the best possible position for their client. It was frustrating as hell because in the end, he knew what would make her budge more than any lawyer.

So he finally just called her, not giving a damn that his lawyers told him not to. "Mellie, give in, you are going to get more than enough in the property division. I'm being reasonable with custody and visitation of Teddy, although God knows, he would be better off with me. All we need you to do is issue a joint statement about the divorce. Don't make this nasty, let's be amicable about this."

"Amicable? How many times are you going to break your promises, Fitz" Mellie questioned with her sweetly venomous voice. "Let's just put aside those pesky vows that promised you'd be faithful and that you'd love, honor and cherish your wife until death do you part and concentrate on the promise you made just a couple of years ago when I agreed to a divorce after I finished my successful campaign for Senator. Now you're changing the deal again? Really, honey," she asked incredulously.

Fitz put aside his natural instinct to go for the jugular with her and adopted a calm voice, "Mellie, I gave you everything you asked for in this campaign. The donors, the connections, the set up with the RNC, I just can't give you any more time. Your campaign is doing fine. I've seen your poll numbers, this whole fiasco has been a boon to you and you know it."

"So, you expect me to just roll over again to save your presidency," her voice was growing shrill. "You really think I will make it any easier for you to officially kick me out of the White House to replace me with your whore?"

Fitz's voice became as hard as flint, "Don't you _ever_ call her that again, or you will regret it. That's a promise. If you don't agree to the joint statement then I can guarantee that within a week your persona of the genteel, patrician wife and mother to all America will be utterly pulverized. "

"Careful, Fitz," she said in a sing-song voice. "I've got ammo too."

"No doubt and we'll both go down in a blaze of dubious glory," Fitz said wryly. "You can tear down my Presidency and I will thoroughly destroy any further political and personal ambitions you have. You know I'll do it too, Mellie," the threat clear in his voice. There was such a long pause, for a moment he thought she hung up, "Mellie?"

"Fine," she resentfully answered.

"Good," he responded, feeling satisfied. "I'll have my people get a hold of your people and we'll work on the language of the statement and issue it next week when we file." He then changed the subject, "Secret Service told me they are still waiting on you to get back to them with a time Teddy and Maria will be available on Saturday for pick-up. Please let them know tonight."

"I am _NOT_ sending Teddy to the love shack you've made of Camp David with that," Mellie stopped herself. ". . . with Olivia. If you want to see him, you've got to promise me to keep him in the White House and that _she_ won't be around."

"I'll do no such thing," Fitz said impatiently. "She's a part of my life and so is Teddy. Jerry's coming this weekend too and they are both going to meet their little sister."

"Their little sister," Mellie gave an indignant snort. "God Fitz, you'd think you'd have learned something from the Amanda Tanner incident and used a _condom!_"

_She was such a bitch_. He thought of a cruel rejoinder, but he let it go. "Her name is Maya, and she _will_ meet her brothers this weekend."

"So, Karen still isn't talking to you, I take it," Mellie gloated. He had to hand it to her, she always knew what scabs to pick. "Jerry is a teenager and at boarding school, I can't control what he wants to do, but Teddy is _NOT_ going!"

"Fine Mellie," Fitz raised his voice. "I'll call my lawyers and we'll get an emergency custody hearing as soon as possible regarding Teddy, but not before the tape of you ranting about how you hate small children comes out."

"I did _NOT _give you permission to record me," the law student who graduated top in her class came out. "You can't use that in court."

"I won't need to, Mellie," he said calmly. "Because by the time we got to court every man, woman and child in the United States will hear how much you hate being a mother when it gets leaked out to the media."

"God, you are such a bastard, Fitz," Mellie's voice cracked a little, which actually stirred a little bit of compassion for her that he forgot he had. "I was tired and frustrated, and you are going to use that against me?"

"Mellie, you've said that more than once. You say something often enough, people start believing you. Look, I know you hate me," he acknowledged, adopting a gentler tone. "But don't take it out on our kids. Don't take it out on Maya, who is a complete innocent and who has been through more in the past couple of weeks than most people have been through in a lifetime."

"Olivia will _never_ be his mother," Mellie said, exposing her secret fear.

"Olivia will never be his mother," Fitz agreed. _Although she should have been, _he added to himself, thinking of all the twisted paths that lead them to this point. "Please tell the Secret Service when Teddy and his nanny will be available for pick-up," he asked again.

"Fine," she spit out and then hung up the phone.

For the rest of the evening, Fitz plowed on with his work, but he found it difficult to concentrate. It had only been about a day and a half since he last saw Olivia and he still felt an overwhelming need to see her that night. Finally, around ten o'clock, he told his secret service agents to make arrangements for him to go to Camp David. Marine One touched down at Camp David around 11 o'clock and he made a bee-line to their room. Although she seemed in deep sleep, it didn't matter to him, he had to have her right then.

He couldn't believe his luck. Three weeks ago, he had no solid idea if he would ever see Olivia again. After the kidnapping, he knew it was possible that she would die a horrible death. Now, incredibly, he had just made love to her and she was in his arms. She was real. He traced his fingers down her spine and then firmly cupped his hands on her derriere. _Mine._ They chatted about small things and Maya and what she did that day until they both drifted off to sleep.

The first thing Olivia saw when she opened his eyes was his face bathed in the morning light. _So, it wasn't a dream last night._ He looked completely relaxed, his jaw loose and his mouth slightly open. He actually snored a little. In all the years that she knew him, she had rarely seen him like this. Their trysts on the campaign trail were fevered moments that rarely ended up with both of them sleeping in the same bed. She usually snuck out of his room well before anyone else was up so they wouldn't be caught. But now, the morning belonged to both of them and they could do with it what they liked. She looked at the clock by the bed stand; it was about 6:30 am. _Well, not everything we like._ She knew that he was going to have a late start this morning if he had any meetings planned back in the White House.

She gently touched the side of his face and softly grazed his lips with hers. He jerked his head back slightly and his eyelids fluttered open. He smiled when his eyes focused and saw her face, "Hi."

"Hi," she answered back. He reached for the nape of her neck and pulled her down for another kiss and began to explore her body once again. "Fitz, you need to get up," she cajoled getting distracted by his hands, and tongue and the growing hardness between her thighs. "I am most definitely up," he said as he rolled her over onto her back and she gave a throaty laugh.

Later on they had breakfast together with Maya on the upper terrace. He was going to be very late, mid morning at least, before he made it back. Still, he took his time, talking to Maya about any subject that came to his mind. He amused his daughter, which was probably the highest compliment anyone could ever get from the discerning girl. When Olivia tried to get Maya to actually eat some of her breakfast, Fitz filled her in on the conversation he had with Mellie the night before. "This is great, Fitz. If we can make sure she's not fighting it out in the public arena, it will really help with the messaging." They talked about making arrangements for his lawyers to work with Harrison and the associates to craft the divorce statement.

Maya started getting bored after she finished her cereal and looked like she was just on the verge of making mischief. "What's on your agenda for today, Livvie," Fitz asked as he picked up Maya and sat her on his lap. "I'm going to talk to Harrison about some new ideas about the leaked stories. I'll talk to Cyrus too and so we can get some former White House staffers to start planting the seeds in the media. And then, I'm going shopping."

Fitz had a puzzled look on his face, "Shopping? Why do you need to go shopping?" They had a large staff that could shop for anything.

"I need clothes. Because no matter how grateful I am to your aids for shopping for me when I was in the hospital," she looked down at her sad plain brown slacks and cream colored t-shirt. "These are not going to cut it anymore." He should have anticipated this and had someone with at least a little bit of fashion sense pick out her clothes. He felt bad that he hadn't paid attention to something she obviously needed. "I'll have one of my aids give you access to my personal account when you go shopping."

She raised her eyebrows at the idea of him providing for her living expenses. "No, I can buy my own clothes, thank you very much. I contacted my old bank and re-opened an account with some funds I transferred." For the past two and a half years, she had lived off the wealth she had accumulated over the years covering up the secrets of some of the most powerful people in the country. In the last case she ever took for Olivia Pope and Associates, she basically blackmailed a CEO of one of the largest financial institutions in the world out of forty million dollars in her anticipation of going into hiding. She gave ten million to her former associates to divide amongst themselves and kept the rest. In the end, she might even have more money than Fitz would have after the divorce.

"Where are you going to go? Have you talked to Secret Service?" He hadn't heard anything from them so he was surprised she was making plans.

"Yes, I talked to them. I also contacted a boutique I loved to shop at in D.C. and they are making it available to me tonight after hours so we can avoid the media." She was nervous about her first solo public outing since being outed as Fitz's lover. She tried to act nonchalant about it so Fitz wouldn't be overly concerned. "Why don't you just bring Maya and stay at the White House tonight? You can fly back with me this morning." The idea of having both at the Residence made him happy just thinking about it. They would just be a few floors away from him at all times.

"Fitz, people have been working overtime to set the proper narrative on your divorce, let's not damage it so soon, ok?" This was going to be a problem, she could tell. She could almost see the next six months of Fitz trying to convince her to dismiss any pretext of convention and just move in with him to the White House full stop. Well, she wouldn't give up in the first week.

After breakfast, Olivia and Maya saw Fitz off at the landing field. As he boarded Marine One, he turned to them and gave a little wave. Olivia smiled and something caught in her throat. Suddenly she had a vision of Marine One crashing and with it all of her hopes and dreams. She almost stopped breathing just thinking about it, about the possibility of losing Fitz. And it could happen. She had almost lost him once to an assassin's bullet. Someone else could target him or he could be lost in something as mundane as a helicopter crash. She didn't want to imagine a world without him in it. Yet she had always known how fleeting and fragile the most precious things were in life. She hugged Maya tighter as she waved Fitz goodbye.

The rest of the day she was on conference calls between Cyrus and Harrison. For the past two days she actually started reviewing the articles about her and the hostage situation. Harrison was right; she had more supporters than she thought she did. Still, there were some pretty harsh commentaries out there and seeing pictures of herself and Maya when they were held captive made her feel numb. Throughout the past couple of days, images of the kidnapping and her captivity would flash through her mind.

After an early dinner, Olivia and Maya got into the armored vehicle and headed to D.C. She wished that she could have left Maya, but James and Ella had finally gone home yesterday. He told her that he would work with her in order to find some help for her. He had already sent her a list of care providers that had been cleared by Secret Service, but she wouldn't be able to get to them until next week. So Olivia planned to do what many mothers dreaded: go on a shopping excursion with a toddler. Olivia had put her daughter down for a long nap earlier in the day so she wouldn't be grumpy when they shopped. She wondered if she shouldn't have taken Fitz up on his offer earlier. She smiled thinking about Fitz watching Maya in the Oval Office when she went shopping. However, the idea of dealing with potential press and side looks from staff she once oversaw did not appeal to her in the least.

They arrived at the boutique around seven o'clock. The store closed early to the public and the secret service did a sweep before she and Maya entered the building. Olivia was greeted by the owner Pauline, who she had known for years. The older woman was dressed in a crisp, nicely tailored cream colored a-line dress. Before Olivia left D.C., the owner developed a close working relationship with her. Pauline knew her style and would call her when something came in that she knew she'd love. "Olivia, darling, it's so good to see you. It has been far too long," Pauline grabbed her shoulders and did air kisses on both of her cheeks. "We were beside ourselves with worry when we heard what happened to you. And this must be Maya?" The fashion maven didn't seem to know quite what to do with a child so she gave the girl two pats on the head. The woman introduced Olivia to two of her sales associates, who seemed a little starstruck by Olivia's presence. Pauline would not dwell in the salacious gossip of her clients and went straight to business with Liv. "I've found some pieces that I think you'll absolutely love in Armani and Michael Kors. I understand you've been spending most of your time at Camp David? We've got some excellent skinny jeans that would look fabulous on you and would be good for outdoors."

Olivia spent about an hour trying on clothes. One of the sales associates entertained Maya almost the entire time and she didn't even have a meltdown. Liv did notice that Maya was looking increasingly bored. This was a dangerous time, boredom could lead to a cranky little girl. Luckily, Olivia was just about to wrap up her shopping. There were a few things that needed to be tailored and Pauline planned to send the rest of the specially ordered items to Camp David. Liv picked up her daughter and the two sales associates gathered the items she purchased to take to the car. One of her Secret Service agents opened the back door and they were greeted by a flood of flashing lights and reporters.

_Oh God._ The agents pushed the reporters away and demanded that they step back several feet.

"Ms. Pope, what happened during your captivity? Were you raped?" _FLASH . . . CLICK . . . _"When did you start your relationship with the President, Ms. Pope?" _FLASH . . . FLASH. . CLICK . . . _"Did he get you your job in the White House for sexual favors?" _CLICK . . . FLASH . . . _ "Olivia, have you spoken to the First Lady yet?" _CLICK . . . CLICK . . . FLASH . . . _"Did the President order DNA testing of Maya?" _FLASH . . . CLICK . . . _"Ms. Pope! Ms. Pope! Is there a sex tape?" _CLICK . . . CLICK . . . FLASH . . . _"Did Grant pay for your set up in the United Arabic Province?" _FLASH . . . FLASH. . CLICK . . . _"Did the President use White House staff and funds to silence you?" _CLICK . . . FLASH . . . _ "What's your favorite sex position?" _FLASH . . . CLICK . . . _"Who paid for all the clothes you just bought? How much are the taxpayers shelling out for this excursion?" _CLICK . . . FLASH_ "Was this all a ploy to start another war in the Middle East?" _CLICK . . . CLICK . . . FLASH . . . _"Olivia! Olivia, can you turn your head just a little over here?" _FLASH . . . CLICK . . . _"How does it feel knowing that you broke up America's Family?"

Maya started bawling her head off, covering her ears with her hands. Olivia felt a rushed panic overcome her and suddenly she was back in her garden in Yadub, witnessing the murder of her body guards. She nearly jumped out of her skin when one of the Secret Service Agents firmly took her by the arm and guided her to the vehicle. The agent practically pushed her into the car. Maya was still wailing and Olivia sat in stunned silence. "Ms. Pope, are you ok?" She didn't respond. "Ms. Pope, Olivia, please talk to me." She could barely hear anything, not the agent's questions, nor Maya's screaming. Nothing. Only her heartbeat.

"OK, get headquarters on the phone," one of the agents told the other. "We're going to the White House."


	19. Chapter 19: Fitz and Olivia

**A/N: Well, that season finale was crazy, wasn't it? Let's just say, I'm not too happy with Cyrus right now. Come on Shonda, can't you keep them together longer than two episodes? Sigh. Well, we always have fanfic for the summer. Feedback is much appreciated!**

Chapter 19: Fitz & Olivia

Fitz tried to keep the panic out of his face, although his brow was furrowed and his lips were tight as he and Cyrus walked briskly to the Residence. They were in the Oval Office, going over the farm bill that had stalled in Congress before the whole hostage crisis exploded when they got the news that Secret Service brought in Olivia and Maya after an incident involving reporters. It must have been serious if they decided to come here instead of going back to Camp David. He couldn't imagine Livvie wanting to come here after all the admonishing she had given him about keeping up appearances.

They headed to one of the sitting rooms in the Family Residence. Two agents were in the room; Olivia was sitting on a couch absently holding their daughter who sounded like she had been crying for awhile. "What's going on," Fitz asked, totally bewildered by the sight. Olivia did not immediately respond. An agent started to fill in the details while Fitz sat on the couch beside Olivia and Maya. "Ah, she hasn't spoken since we ran into the reporters, sir," disclosed the youngest agent named Mosely. Fitz picked up Maya and held her to his chest with one hand. He cupped his other hand on Olivia's cheek, "Livvie?"

With that, her eyes snapped into focus on him. "Are you ok," he questioned, concern written all over him. She nodded listlessly, "I'm fine, Fitz." She decidedly did _not_ look fine. He rubbed the back of Maya who started to settle down. "It's alright Maya, you're ok," he comforted her. "Bad lights! Bad lights," his daughter exclaimed. "Bad lights, huh? Well, they're not here anymore," Fitz assured his daughter. He turned to one of the agents and gave a hard look, "What the hell happened? How did you guys get ambushed like that?"

The agent cleared his throat, "Sir, we did a perimeter search and the coast was clear. Someone must have contacted the press while she was inside. We probably should have had another agent posted as a look out. I'm sorry, sir."

"Probably, huh?" Fitz was on the verge of exploding, the only thing that kept him in check was his daughter in his arms. "They were kidnapped just a few weeks ago, surrounded by bodyguards," he raised his voice slightly, but tried to keep an even temper. "How am I supposed to trust that they'll be safe with such incompetence?"

Both of the agents stood shame-faced. "We take full responsibility, sir," SSA Mosely offered.

Cyrus chimed in, "You bet you'll take full responsibility; you both should be fired immediately."

Fitz thought about that for a moment, _they should be fired._ But he wasn't in the mood for it that night. "I want a full report by you two and your supervisor ASAP on how this got so screwed up, including who alerted the media. I also want a report on how you guys are handling the press with my other kids." Fitz commanded, wondering if Jerry and Karen had put up with the same thing. "Cyrus, I want those reporter's outfits tracked down and tell their news chiefs that if they ever pull a stunt like that again with my family, they are going to find themselves with no access to the White House."

Cyrus nodded and added, "I'll work on getting a press release out before the 10 o'clock news condemning what happened as a gross invasion of privacy in a difficult time for Olivia and her daughter."

"_The President's daughter, _Cyrus. Let me know if anything else comes up. You can go now." Cyrus hesitated by the door. Fitz could tell that he was biting his tongue. "Did you have something else to say, Cy?"

"Olivia should not be staying at the White House right now, sir. We need to make arrangements for her to return to Camp David tonight," Cyrus said reluctantly.

"That's not going to happen tonight, Cy," Fitz could see his Chief of Staff on the verge of saying something else, but he shut that down. "It's good, Cy. We'll worry about the blowback tomorrow." Cyrus seemed frustrated, yet resigned to the idea and was just about to head out the door when, for the first time, Olivia spoke up. "No, we can't stay here. Maya and I have to go back to Camp David. This is bad, Fitz. Think of the optics."

"Screw the optics, Liv," Fitz stated flatly. "You're staying here tonight and no one here's going to contradict me, so just accept it." He wrapped one of his arms around her waist and drew her into him. He held on tightly to both his daughter and the love of his life. He looked to Cyrus and dismissed him, "I'll see you in the morning, Cy." Cyrus left, looking a little annoyed, but reconciled to dealing with more press fallout.

Fitz leaned back on the couch arm with Olivia half-draped over on his body and Maya still on his chest. Olivia reached wrapped one arm around his waist while her other hand intertwined with Fitz's fingers that were on Maya's back. He rubbed her shoulder and said, "Liv, talk to me. What happened to you?" He had never seen her so out of it in his presence, it frightened him.

Olivia felt like she was just coming back to the world. When everyone was talking, it was almost like she was underwater and they were trying to talk to her, their voices garbled. "I guess I just wasn't use to it. I feel very foolish about all of it," She felt the blood rushing to her cheeks and ears. The fixer thought of the thousands of times she dispassionately walked her clients through the media circus that awaited them just outside the door. She couldn't believe that she let those reporters get the best of her.

There was more to the story than she let on, Fitz could sense it. "When you stepped outside, what was the first thing you thought of?" Olivia sat up and broke off contact. She didn't like where the conversation was going. "I don't know, I wasn't thinking much of anything. I was just surprised, that's all," she said defensively.

"Loud. Bad lights," Maya contributed before she stuck her pointer and ring finger in her mouth. Fitz was impressed she was talking about the incident. While Maya definitely talked more than when she was first rescued, she wasn't a natural gabber. He rubbed her back again and gave her a kiss on the forehead. God, she had been through so much in her young life. He thought back to the frightening hostage footage of her crying alone in that room under harsh lights. A thought popped into his head, "Were you thinking about your kidnapping, Liv?"

Olivia had retreated to the far side of the couch. She had her arms crossed in front of her and her feet tucked under her thighs. "I told you, I wasn't thinking of anything," she said a little impatiently.

_That's a lie_, he thought. Liv's entire body language screamed _back off_. Olivia and Maya hadn't really talked to anyone about the whole kidnapping incident. He felt like kicking himself. He said that he knew her but then he just let something major like this go. "Olivia, it might be a good idea if you and Maya see someone about what happened to you. In the past few weeks, your lives have been completely turned around. You witnessed people you knew being murdered in front of you, you almost died. Those are things you just don't brush off." He knew about those kinds of things. He thought back to his brief stint in Iraq and the secret mission that almost ended his life. He shuddered slightly.

Olivia looked at his face, so filled with worry and love. She hated seeing his troubled expression. "Look, I'm really not a therapy kind of person. It just doesn't work for me," she stated matter-of-factly. She thought back to a time when she actually tried to seek counseling after the whole Amanda Tanner incident came to a head. She sat there staring at the therapist who asked her to talk to him about what was going on in her life. What should she tell this person? Should she tell him that she just got reamed out by the First Lady for not continuing an affair with the President? That she rejected her lover's plan for them to be together and instead concocted a scheme to get his wife pregnant so he could save his Presidency? That she had encouraged one of her mentally unstable employees to torture someone for information? Or should she just tell him about her own dark childhood? She started to laugh. Her therapist gave her such a look of unease that it just made her laugh more. She told him that she was sorry that she wasted his time, but this wouldn't help. She got up, told him to bill her and ran out the door, practically cackling.

"Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea for Maya to see someone," Olivia conceded. Maya had that awesome ability of toddlers to bounce back from practically anything. However, Olivia did notice changes in her. She was much more leery of strangers and her reaction to the cameras tonight might have stemmed from the kidnapping. _Who am I kidding_, Olivia thought._ My reaction probably had something to do with it as well. _She didn't want to examine it too closely. "OK, maybe I was a little jumpy reacting to the cameras. I'm just angry that I let them get to me so much. I'll be fine, Fitz," His expression clearly read that he didn't think she'd be fine. "Really," she insisted. "I'm fine."

Fitz spent almost 20 years in the limelight, dealing with the press and the attention. He learned to ignore questions only designed to get a rise out of him and to smile and wave to the reporters, even though sometimes he'd like nothing better than to flip them off. While Olivia had many dealings with the press, indeed, she frequently helped mold the narrative for her clients, she had never been the subject of their scrutiny. She handled the story; she wasn't a part of it. "Maybe we should cancel the joint interview next week," Fitz suggested. He began to wonder if everything happened too fast. She needed time to process all of this.

"No," she said emphatically. "We've already waited long enough to address the press. We've got to get ahead of it sometime." She kicked herself over this whole incident. Not only would they have to deal with her out in public for the first time, but her presence at the White House created a new story. She was about to argue again that she and Maya needed to go, but she knew it would be pointless. Fitz was determined that she would stay, damn the consequences. Instead, her mind started racing while she contemplated several scenarios in how to spin this latest wrinkle. "I think we need to get Cyrus back here and even Harrison. We need to develop a fresh strategy for the news cycle tomorrow."

Fitz adjusted Maya, and leaned in to kiss Olivia full on the mouth. "The news cycle can wait until tomorrow," he said. Olivia didn't want to be placated. She was awake. She was alive. She had to be doing something. "Maybe I could go met Cyrus down in the West Wing and go over the press release that goes out tonight."

Fitz could see that she was starting to get worked up. "Olivia? Relax. The problems will be there in the morning. We will start working on them first thing tomorrow. They will be solved. In. The. Morning." He pulled Olivia close to him again in a hug. Olivia didn't want to give in, she felt like she gave in too much lately. But, at this point, she didn't see many alternatives. "Fine," she said grudgingly. "It's getting late and Maya needs to be put down for bed." It would probably be a restless night for their daughter. When Olivia left Camp David, she wasn't prepared for an overnight. Maya had one change of clothes in her dipper bag, but no pajamas. Her daughter would sleep in a t-shirt tonight. Olivia supposed it didn't matter if she didn't have pajamas for herself because if she was around Fitz, she would probably end up naked anyway. An aid would make sure that the clothes she bought from the boutique that didn't make it to the car were sent to the White House.

Fitz showed her to the nursery and Olivia drew a bath for Maya in its bathroom. Fitz changed out of his suit into a white t-shirt and boxers and then joined them. Maya started to calm down, playing with some bath toys. James had left behind shampoo, Shea conditioner and leave in treatments that he used on both Ella and Maya when they were all staying at the White House. Olivia smiled, thinking back to when James first asked her advice on how to handle his own daughter's hair. She told him just because she was black, didn't mean she knew much about what to do with black children's hair since she had none of her own. She did tell him what she used for her own hair and it looked like he used some variation of it.

Fitz felt an extraordinary sense of peace watching the two of them occupy the same space he lived. They were meant to be here. He didn't want to wait six months; he missed out on too much of their lives already. After Liv dried off Maya and combed out her hair, she told Fitz she was going to read to her for a bit and then put her down. "It might be best if there is just one of us. I think she'd just want to play with you if stayed."

Fitz reluctantly agreed. He called Cyrus and got an update on the press release and made a few adjustments. "Do we know how they got tipped off yet," Fitz could feel his anger returning. "Yes," Cyrus responded. "It looks like one of those idiot sales associate tweeted a picture of Maya when Olivia was trying on clothes. I guess she had a couple of followers that were reporters and the news spread like wildfire. If it's any consolation, the shop owner fired the girl."

"Cy, the press got way too close to them. Anything could have happened." Fitz flashed back to the night he was shot and the chaos that followed. He shuddered to think that something similar could happen to his family. "I want to meet with the Director of the Secret Service first thing in the morning, ok?" Cyrus agreed and told him he would see him in the morning. Fitz then called for an aid to bring up briefings he had gone over earlier in the evening. He settled down on the couch in his bedroom to review them, waiting for Olivia's return.


	20. Chapter 20: Olivia and Fitz

**A/N Thanks for sticking with me through this story! I thought this would have been done a long time ago, but it seems more of their story wants to be told. Feed back is life!**

Chapter 20: Olivia and Fitz

After Olivia put Maya down, she didn't immediately return to Fitz's bedroom. She took a little time to explore the Residence. The First Family actually lived on the second and third floors of the main house. The first floor was reserved for formal visits and included the State Dining Room and the East Room, which was used for receptions and an occasional ball. When she was White House Communications Director, she and Cyrus had dinner with Fitz and Mellie in the intimate Family Dining Room a few times. There was a smaller kitchen attached to it where the President and his family could cook their own food if they wanted to, although she didn't think the Grants ever did.

She opened up a door to one of the bedrooms and found what must have been Karen's room. The room reflected the transition between a little girl and a teenager. A worn-out stuffed lamb sat on her bed that was done in pastels colors. Her walls had posters of musicians Olivia had never heard of, most of them in black clothes with tattoos and piercings. Olivia knew that Jerry's room was on the third floor along with recreational rooms including a game room and small gym.

The east side of the second floor had guest bedrooms, including the Lincoln Bedroom. A memory flashed before her that made her blush. One time when Mellie was out of town, she and Fitz shared a brief encounter there. In fact, there were a few area of the Residence where they sneaked off to before she officially left the White House. Olivia stopped in front of a hallway table where there was a picture of Fitz and his family. The kids were younger; it looked like it was taken right after Fitz entered office. Mellie looked as beautiful and refined as ever.

She felt that familiar rush of guilt when she thought of Mellie. Even though she knew that if Fitz and Mellie shared any kind of romantic love it died a long time ago, even though she knew that it was a political marriage of convenience more than anything else, even though she knew all of the crazy things Mellie did to hold on to her position, and even though Olivia loved Fitz with all of her heart, she still felt like the "other woman" sometimes. Many people would see her that way until the day she died. Olivia walked down the hallway and opened the door to another sitting room. This was the same room where she and Mellie came up with the plan to stop Fitz from resigning and clear his name in the Amanda Tanner incident. In a way, this was the room where Teddy was conceived. Mellie told her straight up that she needed "to take her husband back," and throughout their discussions, Mellie would throw in snide comments about mistresses and the role of wives in politics. She told Olivia she didn't really understand all the work and effort she put into making Fitz the man who became President. Olivia had taken in all the bitter remarks and swallowed her pride in order to make the plan work.

When they presented their proposal to Fitz, he looked horrified and confused, but ultimately he agreed to it. After Mellie left the room, Fitz said he didn't even know who she was anymore. He didn't get it. He didn't get that she'd sacrifice her happiness and his for what she thought was best for Fitz. So much misery. So many wasted years. No more. She closed the door to the sitting room and hurried down the hallway to Fitz's room. She stopped for a moment; hand on the handle of the door. The first time Fitz took her up to the Residence for a tryst, he made a bee-line to _their_ bedroom. Olivia refused to go in; she wouldn't dare violate _her_ space.

This time she dared. This time she would claim what was always hers. His name had been etched on her soul since the beginning of time.

She opened the door and slipped in quietly. He looked engrossed in something he was reading. He sat in the middle of the couch, with his feet propped up on the coffee table, reports spread all around him. She loved seeing him in just a t-shirt; it highlighted all of his well-earned muscles. For a man of fifty-three, he had the physique of someone fifteen years younger thanks to his daily workouts. She must have made a noise, he looked up. "Livvie," he said as a smile spread across his face. Olivia didn't say a word. She strode up to him, took the report from his hand and straddled his thighs. She plunged into his mouth, swirling her tongue around his and then drawing it inside her mouth. She felt him growing hard underneath her as she ground her hips against him, wrapping her legs around his waist. She then moved on to his ears which felt like they were burning. She nibbled the outer ear and then licked the ridge and tugged the soft part of his earlobe into her mouth. He gently held her neck with one of his large hands; her features were so delicate and small in comparison. She gasped as his lips and tongue worked on her neck below her ear.

She needed to feel his flesh against hers. She pulled up his t-shirt over his head; his arms were tangled up in the fabric. She held his arms together above his head by twisting his t-shirt and holding it. She moved to his inner arm, following the curve of his muscles with her tongue, tasting his salty sweat. When she reached a sensitive spot below his underarm, he broke free of his t-shirt restraint and pinned her down on top of his reports. Fitz devoured her mouth while he started to unbutton her shirt. He then moved his mouth down her body to her breasts still encased in her bra, biting down on a nipple and pulling it into his mouth. She groaned with pleasure. He pushed down her bra exposing one breast to his onslaught. This was not going the way she had planned. While she loved just letting go most of the time with Fitz, tonight she wanted to be in charge.

She pushed on his chest and slipped out of his grasp. She laughed and ran to the other side of the room near the fireplace mantle. Fitz, always game for a chase caught her and pressed her against the wall. He thrust his pelvis against hers and lifted one of her thighs so she could fully feel his erection. She pushed against him again and put her leg down. He released her and backed away a few feet. "Wait a minute. Tonight's my night," she slowed her breathing down and looked at him with hunger in her eyes. "I want you to follow my lead." She finished unbuttoning her shirt slowly. "Can you do that for me?"

He was already rigid, but the rush of blood that went to his manhood when she established her rules almost painful. He nodded mutely. She took off her shirt; one of her breasts was still exposed from earlier. She reached behind her and unclasped her bra hooks and dropped it to the ground. Her breasts were high and firm, and perfectly shaped. He wanted to reach out and touch her, but he held back and waited for her to make a move. She unbuttoned her pants and slowly unzipped them. She gradually slipped them down and off. He swallowed hard. _She's so beautiful._

Olivia approached him and placed both her hands on his chest. She pushed him against the wall. She bent his head down to her and darted her tongue in his mouth, playing with his for awhile. He wasn't sure if placing his hands on her was off limits, so with great effort, he kept him by his side. She traced her mouth down his neck, nipping and licking him. His crinkly hair on his chest tickled her nose as she traveled to his nipples and tugged one of them in her mouth, while squeezing the other one with her fingers. A moan escaped from his lips.

She traveled down his body until she was kneeling before him, kissing him around his stomach just above his waistband. Her hands went up his thighs under his boxers until they reached his firm buttocks which she squeezed. She rubbed her cheek against the bulge protruding from his boxers. She heard him take a sharp breath. She then started to pull his boxers down by her teeth. Her hands grabbed his boxers from behind and finished pulling them down from the inside out. She placed her hands on each of his thighs and spread them out. She ran her hands up his legs to his stomach, carefully avoiding his arousal. She gave ticklish kisses around his thighs, breathing on him, but never touching his shaft. Finally she licked him starting from the underside of his scrotum to his very tip. He groaned loudly and gripped her hair as she enclosed her mouth around his head. She sucked and swirled her tongue around him as she tasted his salty pre-cum.

She cupped one hand around the base of his manhood and firmly squeezed, while the other one stroked his upper shaft in rhythm with her mouth. She relaxed her throat and tried to take him all in her mouth, slowly moving up and down and working him into a frenzy. With one final tug she released him and he groaned with frustration. She stood up and said, "Come." She gave a little pull to his member before she headed towards the bed. He came up behind her, picked her up and tossed her on the bed. She gave a little yelp, which he silenced with a deep kiss. He then took a hand and traced it down the side of her body where he started to pull down her panties. She used her free hand and pushed his chest, "I didn't tell you to do that." She sat up and shimmed out of her underwear. He was sitting up as well with his legs stretched out. She straddled his lap and helped him get inside her. She slid her knees forward so they were behind him. She used her thigh muscles to help her move up and down his shaft. He bent down and took a nipple in his mouth and suckled it while she held his head to her. It didn't take them long to find their release.

Throughout the night they seemed to have covered almost every inch of the master suite. At one point, Maya cried out and Olivia threw on one of Fitz's t-shirts and helped her daughter get back to sleep. Somehow in the middle of the night, Fitz and Olivia wound up in the walk-in closet. She was getting rug burn on her bottom as Fitz thrust steadily inside of her. She was already raw and it would probably be hard to walk the next day. Her eyes focused on a single dress suit hanging on a rack. Mellie seemed to have taken most of her other clothes with her to Texas, but for some reason she left that one. Fitz collapsed on top of Olivia after he exploded within her. He nuzzled her neck as she traced her hand down his back and squeezed his firm ass. _Mine_, she thought with a smirk as she closed her eyes and began to drift off to sleep.


	21. Chapter 21: Cyrus

**A/N This is going to be a long hiatus, folks. Well, here's a new chapter to help the wait. Feedback is life!**

Chapter 21: Cyrus

Cyrus wondered if it was even possible to get through just one evening without the damn affair taking over. While the White House staff had worked on leaking out divorce plans throughout the day and to quash other rumors, that night they actually worked on something that had nothing to do with either an international crisis or Fitz's love life. Yes, it was the boring farm bill and frankly he couldn't give a rat's ass whether they gave Iowa farmers more corn subsides or if they would cut back on food stamps by 2%, he was just glad to be thinking about something different. Then everything was shot to hell by a gang of eager reporters, bungling secret service agents and a flipped-out Olivia.

They had less than two hours to craft their message before the 10 o'clock news. He worked with staffers shaping a press release and lining up White House surrogates available for comment to the evening news. He called Harrison and asked for his people to track down who leaked Olivia's location to the press and to help line up surrogates for Liv. He threatened the news chiefs of the outlets responsible for the ambush that from now on, their most interesting scoop would be the soup of the day menu offered in the White House cafeteria if they tried that again.

"OK, folks, it's Piñata time." This was when the staff went all in on what they anticipated the strongest attacks on whatever issue the White House was trying to promote or suppress in order to develop talking points.

"That boutique has really expensive clothes. And most of the designers are not American. President Grant is spending money given to him by the American people on frivolous European clothes for his … girlfriend." Jeanine offered for her turn at the mat.

_Soft ball_, Cyrus thought. "Olivia Pope is a woman of her own means who makes her own decisions on what to purchase. After she had been ripped away from her home with the clothes on her back, and after being held hostage for a week, she decided to support the local economy of D.C. by shopping at a small American-owned business. Next."

"We've been told that Ms. Pope was at Camp David in order to recuperate. Now that she is well enough to go shopping, is the recuperation time over," Patrick took his swing.

"It's been about a week and a half since she was rescued. She was found severally dehydrated and malnourished. She and her daughter have made a remarkable recovery, but I'm sure you can appreciate what a traumatic event it was and that it will take time for them to adjust. Next."

"When will Ms. Pope be available to speak to the press regarding her kidnapping," Lynn asked the question every reporter had been asking since she was rescued.

Cyrus skewed up his face at that one and gave the same answer they had been giving for a week and a half. "Ms. Pope is a private citizen who may choose or not to choose to speak to the press in her own time." This answer was wearing thin now, particularly since she was now spotted out in public. Cyrus thought of the near catatonic state she appeared in when he saw her earlier. This could be a problem. This wasn't time for her to freak out on them. She needed to talk to the press, like yesterday. Cyrus added, "It is appalling that the press chose to ambush a woman and her child who were recently attacked by hostile forces and were first hand witnesses to the death of personal assistants."

"Is it true that Ms. Pope and her daughter are staying at the White House now," Patrick questioned slyly. Rumors were flying all over the building that Olivia and Maya were driven here after the incident, but no one would confirm anything.

_You're not that slick, Patrick_. "Due to safety concerns, the location of Ms. Pope and her daughter will not be disclosed at this time."

Patrick persisted, "So her location has changed? Before, the White House issued a statement that says she was at Camp David recuperating. Can you confirm that she is no longer at Camp David?"

_This is getting ridiculous. _"Patrick, this isn't a press conference," He couldn't help but show the annoyance in his voice. "It's a press release followed by surrogates ready for interviews," Cyrus stated what should have been obvious to all the staffers in the room. _Why was everyone making everything so difficult tonight? _"The surrogates are not going to have knowledge one way or another about Ms. Pope's location. The answer for the surrogates is 1) they don't know and 2) they were told by the White House that her location would not be disclosed due to safety concerns."

Patrick wouldn't back down, "But Cy, the Press is going to keep asking until they get an answer they like."

"What's the first thing I said when you started, Patrick? First rule in handling the press is to give the answer that the White House wants you to give. If the question is not something you could or should answer, rephrase it and answer the question you wanted to be asked." Cyrus was not about to indulge the gossip-mongering going on right under his nose. It was beginning to feel like a high school cafeteria around here.

"OK, so I think we are done here." Cy said in a tone that would not broke any arguments. He had already sent Mary home for the evening but an eager new evening secretary was taking copious notes. "You, ah, Tricia, right? Please email the talking points we just went over, and send them to me and everyone else here. Patrick, as soon as I speak to the President, I'll call you. Have the press release ready and we'll send it out. Lynn and Jeanine contact the surrogates and go over our message. Let's make this happen, people."

After Cyrus talked to the President, he contacted Harrison and coordinated their messages for the surrogates. He then tracked down the Director of the Secret Service, Juila Peterson. Julia had already been made aware of what happened that night and would be prepared to brief the President on all security issues regarding his family in the morning. He then spent the rest of the evening watching the news with the staffers. There was the usual effort to portray Olivia as a gold-digging opportunist, but the surrogates held their own and stayed on message. If anyone looked bad, it was the media. Patrick was right, the media really wanted to know where Olivia was that night and a bevy of unconfirmed reports suggested she was at the White House. He let out a big sigh. _Well, that's tomorrow's headache. _It was nearly midnight, and he was going home.

James and Ella had finally returned yesterday after spending over two weeks as a babysitter and companion to Maya, first at the White House, then at Camp David. James had made him a fantastic meal that night and Ella made him a "We're back!" card. And _still,_ this crap was messing up his routine and keeping him away from his family. He started to think on a purely selfish note he should have told Olivia to run away instead of being with the man she loved. Not that it would have really mattered, Fitz wouldn't let her go this time and he'd be a wreck if she did leave. So, now Cyrus had to work with the President he got. She _could not_ stay at the White House again until after the divorce. He had to put his foot down on that. This was going to be difficult. He knew that once Fitz had her there, he wouldn't want her to leave again. If Olivia hadn't gone into that bizarre fugue state, she'd be on the same page as Cyrus.

When Cyrus got home, he found James working on his laptop in bed. Ella had long since fallen asleep. If he was lucky, he might see her briefly in the morning before he left for work. James looked up from his computer, "Rough day, babe? Saw the news. How are Olivia and Maya doing?"

Cyrus dumped his keys and his cell phone by the nightstand and then started to change out of his clothes, "They're doing ok, I guess. Olivia was acting strange, but whatever." This peaked James curiosity, "Strange? Strange, how?"

"Oh, I don't know. She's just not use to all the cameras being on her, I guess." He then proceeded to fill James in on all details of what happened. James gave him a contemplative look and then said, "That girl needs therapy. I was telling her that at Camp David. You don't just get over watching people murdered in front of you and then being kidnapped." Cyrus had to admit, James had a point. _Another freaking problem he'd have to deal with tomorrow. _He didn't want to think about the President or Olivia anymore. He collapsed on the bed next to James. He glanced at the screen of James' laptop and read something about the passionate love between Fitz and Olivia. He sat straight up. "What the hell are you writing?"

James closed his laptop and held it close to him like he thought that Cyrus would destroy it. "Now wait, Cy. Just hear me out, ok? I'm just writing my thoughts about what I observed during my time taking care of Maya and when they were reunited at Camp David. I'm _not_ writing a news story, I promise! I just thought that … you know … when they are ready, they'd like a responsible person to write their biography."

"What did I say when I asked you to watch Maya? No news stories! No books!" Cyrus could feel his blood pressure rising.

"And there won't be, I promise, at least not as long as he is in office. And there won't be anything I could be subpoenaed for either," James said, making the allusion to the whole Defiance debacle. "You know how unbelievably lucky I am to have witnessed what I did? It's an amazing story, Cy. Part of history, and I was there to witness it."

"You were only there to witness the story because I told Fitz you could be trusted not write it," Cyrus took a deep breath and exhaled. "Please James, don't betray his trust and mine."

"I think I have a pretty good track record about not breaking trusts, Cyrus," James said pointedly James leaned over and gave him a kiss. "You can trust me, Cy. You know you can." James waited a beat, "Want to fool around?" Cyrus knew that James just wanted to distract him. He didn't want to give in. He was angry and he wanted to hold on to it for a little longer.

Suddenly, his cell phone rang. He looked at the caller id and didn't recognize it. It was a 512 area code. That looked familiar, he racked his brain. Austin, Texas. Crap. He answered the phone and got up and moved to the hallway.

"Cyrus Beene," maybe it wasn't her, he thought hopefully.

"Cyrus, tell me she's not staying in the White House!" No such luck.

"Why, hello Mellie, it's so good to hear from you at midnight," Cyrus heavily laid on the false sweetness. "She's not staying in the White House."

"That's a lie! You know, I still have my sources there, Cy," she yelled.

Well, she did ask Cyrus to tell her that Olivia wasn't in the White House. It wasn't a lie, he was just following her instructions literally. "Look Mellie, it's been a long day, what do you want," he asked wearily.

"I want you to tell me what _she_ is doing at the Residence?" _I imagine screwing your husband on every flat surface and possibly not so flat surface of your bedroom._ Instead he said, "Look they were ambushed by some reporters and were shaken up. What's the big deal, Mellie?"

"The bid deal, Cyrus? The big deal is that we haven't even filed for divorce yet and she's taking over my space. She's sleeping in my bed! Do you have any idea how humiliating that looks," Mellie questioned with her shrill voice.

_Looks._ Of course, it always boiled down to the optics. "Mellie, just let it go," he advised.

"I'm not the bad guy here, Cy." He could have sworn he heard a crack in her voice, but that didn't compute with his basic understanding of Mellie. "I demand some respect! I keep holding on to my end of each bargain and he keeps on breaking it! It's not fair," she sounded like a little girl who just stamped her foot when she didn't get the toy she wanted. "Well, you can tell him that I've had enough of it! Tell him the joint statement about the divorce is off. I'm going to do my own statement and interviews to match."

Cyrus' voice became sharp, yet quite. "You want to play hardball, Mellie? We will destroy you. Forget about the Senate. Forget about licking your wounds with women's groups or the DAR. You won't even be able to get a tacky reality show once we are done with you." He tried to appeal to her reason. "Look, you're already the winner here, Mellie. All you have to do is just sit back, bask in your approval ratings and watch your ex struggle to come out of the hole while you coast to victory in your Senate election. Otherwise, you will be known as the cold bitch who doesn't love her children in less than a week."

"Two can play that game, Cy. He was a pretty mean drunk to his kids after he dumped his precious Olivia," she spit out.

_Good God. _"Why do people get so crazy stupid when it comes to divorce," he asked rhetorically. "You have everything to lose and nothing to gain by coming out after Fitz. You know this. Let. It. Go."

"Fine, Cy," she adopted her sweetly venomous tone. "I'll let it go. You tell him I want an apology for bringing that whore into my house within 24 hours or I'm releasing my own statement."

"He won't do it, you know it," Cyrus could feel himself about to explode. _Why God, do I have to deal with such children? _

"Well, now don't say I drive a hard bargain, Cyrus," she admonished. "I'm not picky Cy. If he won't do it, have her apologize for ruining my marriage."


	22. Chapter 22: Fitz and Olivia

**A/N: So, can anyone spot "The West Wing" Easter egg in here? Let me know if you do. Please let me know what you think. **

Chapter 22: Fitz and Olivia.

"Wake up, Momma!" And with that, Olivia jerked awake. Maya was in her father's arms, smiling like she got away with something. They were both dressed for the day. "What time is it," she asked groggily.

"It's almost seven-thirty. I'd have let you sleep longer, but I've got meetings all morning, starting with Cyrus." Fitz leaned down and kissed her. Maya wiggled out of his arms and onto the bed with her mother. He couldn't help feeling a little smug. He wore her out last night. He felt totally energized himself, although a little sore, to be honest. "They brought up your clothes from the shop this morning. They're on the couch." Olivia ran her fingers over her hair. _God, I'm a total mess._

"I gave Maya some cereal and an apple. If you want, call down to the kitchen and they will make you something, or you can see what we have in the family kitchen." Fitz sat down on the edge of the bed and traced the side of her face. Maya grabbed his hand and moved it back and forth on Olivia's face like he was petting the dog. They both laughed. "Cyrus wanted to meet with you up here around nine o'clock, would that work for you?"

"Yes, I could be ready by then. What's been going on in the press? Did you talk to him about that? How bad is it," she asked apprehensively.

"It wasn't so bad last night, actually," Fitz said casually. "I mean, we'll have to work on the press for you moving into the White House, but other than that, I think it went well."

Olivia sat straight up. "Fitz, that can't happen right now, you know it. So, it's out that I'm here, right?" Her mind started to race. "Could you hand me that t-shirt?" She pointed to the shirt heaped at the edge of the bed. She needed to call Harrison and figure out her next move. Maybe she could go to the offices later. A flash in her head of a mob of reporters briefly gave her a moment of panic. She should have never stayed here last night.

He reached for his t-shirt and handed it to her. Fitz sighed, "There are rumors that you're here, but nothing has been confirmed yet." She quickly put the shirt on, picked up Maya and went to get her phone from her purse. He thought for a moment about letting the idea of her moving in the White House drop. He knew he wouldn't get anywhere with her this morning on that front, but he just had to say it. "I want you and Maya here with me, Olivia. Now. We've wasted enough time. You're a part of me, Liv. Who I am, who I love, shouldn't be something that I have to run around trying to hide, playing ridiculous games with the media. I've spent a lifetime pretending, and I just can't do it anymore."

Olivia stopped, put down her purse, adjusted Maya on her hip and walked over to him. She bent his head down and gave him a quick kiss and looked him in the eye while she placed her hand on his cheek. "You don't have to pretend anymore, Fitz. But in order for this to go as smoothly as possible, we need to be strategic about this. Not just for you, not just for your job, but for me and Maya. It's not the right time for us to move into the White House, ok? Can you just follow my lead on this, please?" Maya mimicked her mother and placed a hand on his cheek too. He grabbed Maya's hand and kissed it.

"I'm not giving this up, Olivia, but I'll follow your lead for now," he smirked a little, remembering how she led last night. They were all heading for Camp David that night anyway, where Jerry would join them tomorrow and Teddy the day after that. Maybe he could convince her to come back with him by the end of the weekend. He then felt a pang of longing, thinking that it could be awhile before he got Olivia back here again.

"I'll stop talking about your move-in date for now, if you'll do me one favor," his tone grew serious. She backed up a little, nervous about any terms he might request. "I've set up an appointment for you to talk to someone from the American Trauma Victim Association this afternoon here in the Residence and I want you to talk to him. His name is Dr. Stanley Keyworth and he's worked closely with people in highly classified positions who experienced traumatic events. The organization is really good and has done a lot of work with the federal government after certain terrorist attacks and natural disasters. James will watch Maya and they will also get you the names of some children's therapists."

Olivia felt her hackles rise about the idea of therapy. Where did he get off making an appointment for her? Everyone else she knew, including Fitz, dealt with the crazy on their own and hadn't been forced to go to therapy. "I don't need to see anybody, Fitz. I'm fine. And this will be an incredibly busy day, dealing with the fallout with me staying here. That will be my therapy. I should get out of here as soon as possible."

"If you're fine, then it will be an easy visit, Liv. Secret Service won't take you anywhere today without my say so. He'll be here at ten o'clock." Fitz talked about it like a done deal. _God, he could be so freaking stubborn sometimes._ If it would make him stop talking about it, maybe it would be worth it. "One time. I'll see someone once. And don't argue with me when I don't go back."

"Good," he declared, sealing the deal with a kiss. _One step at a time, _he thought. "I'll see you for lunch." He wanted to savor every moment they were here.

When he got to the Oval Office, Cyrus was waiting for him by the secretary's desk, already looking agitated. Fitz had talked to him earlier that morning and the conversation ended with Cyrus telling him they had a Mellie problem. _Since when wasn't there a Mellie problem?_ He suspected this was about Olivia being there. Fitz told Cy that it could wait until he got down to the Oval.

As soon as the door closed, Cyrus laid into it. "You've got to call Mellie and tell her you're sorry you brought Olivia to the White House."

"No," Fitz said flatly as he leaned up against his desk. "I'm not apologizing for something I'm not sorry about and didn't do in the first place. In fact, if I had my way, I'd move her in today."

"So, I take it Olivia hasn't completely lost her mind like you? That's good to know because I was wondering after last night." Fitz shot him a dirty look. "Mellie said she's going to do her own statement and interviews. She's declaring war, Fitz."

"It was only a slim chance she wouldn't declare war anyway, Cy. The joint divorce statement was a good idea, but it was only ever a pipe dream." He had been secretly resigned to the fact that this was going to be a nasty divorce fought in the court of public opinion. He only reached out to Mellie in the first place because Olivia asked him to. But in the end, he knew Mellie, she needed a fight to feel validated. Now they both would be destroyed, because he wouldn't hold back either.

"Just call Mellie and tell her what she wants to hear. It's not that hard." Cyrus' voice was getting higher and he started getting red in the face.

"Yes, it is that hard. I won't apologize for any aspect of my relationship with Olivia. Not to her, not to anyone."

"You do realize that Mellie is the wronged party here?" Cyrus impatiently asked. He was no doubt hoping that _something_ would get Fitz to move on the issue. "How would you feel if she moved some guy into your house in Santa Barbara? Sleeping in your bed? Looking through your things?"

Fitz thought about that for a moment. "Actually, as long as he didn't take any of my stuff, I think I'd be happy about that because I would know she's moved on. We've also been planning a divorce for two years, Cy. We never really loved each other and she has no claim to me anymore."

"Look, I know you and Mellie never had that kind of relationship," Cyrus conceded. "But even if you looked at it as a business partnership; you breached your contract and started getting into someone else's business."

"Cy, she knew. She always knew. She didn't care as long as her position wasn't threatened."

"Fine, she knew, that her business partnership wasn't an exclusive deal," Cyrus struggled to keep the analogy going. "And she had a right to feel threatened since she was pretty much knocked out of her position. At this point, I think she'd be happy just to hear you were sorry about any aspect of how your relationship ended. If we can avoid a media mud-slinging fight, couldn't you just give her that?"

"I'm sorry that I ever married her when I never loved her," Fitz said honestly. "That's one of the biggest regrets in my life, Cy. I think we would both be happier people."

"Somehow I don't think that is the kind of apology she's looking for. Try to say something nice about her, come on," Cyrus pleaded. "Tell her something nice and apologize for something. Lie if you have to! You already were doing it for twenty years! Do it so you have an actual chance of governing in the next two and a half years. Do it so you don't have Mellie blasting Olivia in the media. Do it so your kids don't have to hear that crap."

This did give him pause. He didn't want Olivia or his kids to be collateral damage in her war. The media was already doing a good enough job with the attacks without throwing Mellie into the mix. And he would prefer not to be a lame duck for the next two and a half years. "I'll think about it, Cy."

"Well, she said that you've got until midnight or she's releasing her own statement."

_Mellie and her ultimatums_. Fitz smiled a little and shook his head, "Some things never change. I'll think about it, if there is anything I could honestly say at this point, I'll say it and see if it helps. In the meantime, I don't want you talking to Olivia about this. This is between Mellie and I, and I don't want Olivia to have a part in it."

Cyrus' mouth dropped a little. "What, so she can just be blindsided when the news hits tomorrow? Olivia is trying to help us with the narrative, Fitz. She can't be kept in the dark."

"She won't be. I'll talk to Olivia when I've made a decision about it." Just then, the secretary buzzed in that the Director of the Secret Service was ready to see them. "Send her in." Fitz watched Cyrus who had a hooded expression. _He's up to something._ This is going to be a long day. And it all started so promising.


	23. Chapter 23: Olivia and Cyrus

**A/N: Next update should be in the next day or two. Cyrus, whatcha doing? **

Chapter 23: Olivia & Cyrus

"The surrogates did their job; if there was any damage, it was minimal at best. But the interest in you is huge. The public wants you to tell your story, now," Harrison summed up the fallout from the previous night. Olivia figured this would be the case. Olivia had just laid out several morning papers on the couch in the nursery. She also used a laptop that was provided for her to scan the headlines. Maya played with toys as her mother talked to Harrison over the phone and waited for Cyrus to show up. "Look, Liv, I know you wanted to wait until the President filed his divorce papers on Monday, but I think you need to talk to the press now. We can set up a press conference or even get you a sit down today." Harrison recommended the same course of action she would have when she was still running OPA. However, she didn't feel ready to talk to the press today, in more ways than one.

"No, we need to stick to the plan. The President and I need to present a united front," Olivia insisted.

Harrison paused for a moment, "I told you before that you're our bottom line, Olivia. Not the President. The best thing you can do right now you can do is get out there with your story. They are already painting an inaccurate picture of you." She could talk about the kidnapping now and still go with him on his first sit-down after the papers were filed. She didn't want Harrison to know how much the idea of a press conference bothered her, she felt disgusted at her own weakness. She wouldn't be ruled by it. She took a deep breath. "OK, let's set up a press conference, not at the White House, around 5:30. I'll make a statement about being held hostage and take some questions. I'll meet you at the offices as soon as I'm out of here, which probably won't be until after one o'clock. I'll talk to Cy and give you a call later."

By nine o'clock, James and Ella had arrived and were escorted to the nursery. James had Ella on one hip and waved a small stack of papers with the other. Without missing a beat, James launched in, "I've got resumes, and I'm going to start setting interviews for help at Camp David next week. You know I love ya, girl, but I've got a life I've been missing." James lowered Ella, who immediately ran up to Maya and started playing.

Olivia felt a twinge of guilt, "You've been a real life saver, James. Thank you so much for taking care of my daughter when I was . . . gone, and for helping us out for the past couple of weeks. I don't know how we'll be able to repay you." Olivia started to gather up the newspapers and her laptop; she would meet with Cyrus in one of the study rooms.

"Actually, I've got some ideas about that," James confessed excitedly. "I was thinking, you know, in the future, when everything has calmed way, way down, maybe you'd let me write your story." Was she really going to have to deal with this for the rest of her life? People wanting biographies, auto-biographies, gossip stories or the real insider track. This will never end. "James, I'm not sure that's such a good idea," she responded. James' face fell and she couldn't help add, "But who knows what the future may bring?"

That was all the encouragement he needed. "See, I've got this idea about telling your story as just a boy meets girl . . ."

"James, you aren't talking about this again, are you?" Cyrus interrupted as soon as he entered the room. "Olivia, he's joking. You're not writing a thing, are you James?" It was more of a statement than a question. This was going to be a serious problem if he didn't nip it in the bud. That laptop was going to have an unfortunate accident soon, he swore to God.

"No, no, absolutely not," James laughed. "It's just a crazy idea, nothing more." Cyrus shot him a disgusted look and then escorted Olivia out of the room.

As soon as he closed the door to the study, he started in on her. "Olivia, it was reckless for you to stay here last night. That's all anyone is talking about this morning. This could set us back weeks. What were you thinking?"

"I know Cy. I know." Olivia sat down in a desk chair and rubbed her temples. She was already getting a headache.

"We aren't going to confirm or deny it, just keep the press guessing and get you the hell out of here. But we've got even bigger problems than the press right now. Mellie knows you are here, and she is pissed. She's called off the joint press statement about the divorce and frankly, I'm not sure what her next move is going to be. You need to defuse this situation, Liv." Cyrus explained Mellie's ultimatums, leaving out her colorful language. "Fitz is thinking about if he will respond, even if he does, knowing him and Mellie, his response may just escalate the situation. So I'm coming to you because I know you will see reason and get this train back on track."

"Me? What am I suppose to do?"

"It's simple, you are going to give her a call and make the apology. That way we can all go back to schedule and issue that joint divorce statement. Hell, we could even issue it tomorrow and bury the lead."

"So, I'm supposed to apologize for what, ruining her marriage? A marriage that we spent a whole campaign lying about saying it was solid, when it hadn't been for years? The marriage where they were already planning on divorcing before I ever came back? I'm supposed to apologize for that?" She could feel a little knot of anger growing in her stomach. She was sick of feeling guilty for the wreck of Fitz and Mellie's marriage. There were plenty of messes she could take responsibility for in her life, and this was not going to be one of them. Not anymore. "No, I won't do it."

Cyrus gave an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes. He pulled up a chair right next to her and leaned his head about a foot away from hers, looking directly in her eyes. "Liv, I know you've been playing house for the last week, but it's time to put on your big girl panties and take one for the team." He knew the way to crack her, and by God, he was going to do it. "We all worked hard to get you back, and don't get me wrong, I'm very glad you are here. But you, yes _you_ have done a lot of damage to this Administration and it's time you do your part to fix it." He could see that his words had the intended effect because of the wounded bird look in her eyes.

He put his hand on her knee in a gesture that was supposed to comfort her in the midst of his harsh words. "Apologize for being here. Apologize for stealing her man. Apologize for being pretty. I don't care; just give her something to sooth her ego and to shut her up. Look Liv, your idea of them appearing amicable during the divorce is solid. We've done the polling, and he gets an approval bump just by not fighting with her. Once we go nuclear on her, they both lose."

"Can I think about it?" Olivia couldn't even imagine what to say to Mellie. She didn't want to apologize for Mellie's bad marriage. It ultimately wasn't her responsibility. What she did feel guilt for was the whole kidnapping crisis. If it wasn't for that, Fitz would never be in this position. If she could make some kind of gesture that would placate Mellie, it might make up for some of the damages she felt she caused Fitz's Presidency.

"No, I really think it needs to be now, Liv." In truth, he didn't want her to have a chance to talk to Fitz. He felt a little uneasy knowing that Fitz wouldn't be happy he talked to Liv about Mellie. But if they could resolve this quickly with no drama, it would be worth it. "Let's just rip the bandaid off and be done with it, Liv." He looked at his watch; they were running out of time. He started dialing Mellie's number on his cell phone. "Let's just do it now."

"No, wait, Cy. Just a minute," Olivia demurred. He knew that if Liv just started talking to Mellie, she'd find say the right thing and this little side drama would be over. "Hello, Mellie, I've got someone who'd like to speak to you." He handed the phone over to Olivia.


	24. Chapter 24: Olivia

**A/N: Man, you people were pissed about the last chapter! Well, if it's any consolation, I was pissed off writing it! **

Chapter 24: Olivia

She stared at the cell phone for a moment. She could hear Mellie saying hello at the other end. And then she hung it up. She thought about throwing it right in Cyrus' face, but she didn't know if that would be some kind of special crime assaulting the White House Chief of Staff. Cyrus had a stunned expression and his mouth was literally hanging open. When he did find his words all he could say was, "Liv? What did you do?"

"I hung up the phone." She said dryly and politely handed it back to him. "Tell me something, Cyrus, where the hell do you get the nerve to pull this kind of crap on me?" She could feel the anger rising in her along with her voice. Throughout the time she had known him, Cyrus was her conscience, and he voiced those thoughts that were always running on the surface of her mind. A lot of times, those thoughts were not very kind. He knew it. He always knew what buttons to push with her. Well, he'd been out of her head for two and a half years now. She wasn't the same person. She didn't have the same priorities anymore. She wanted the best for Fitz's administration, but her ultimate concern was for Maya. What was she saying about Maya if she went around making apologizes about how she ultimately came into this world? "If I decide to reach out to Mellie, it's going to be _my_ decision, not yours. On my terms, not yours, and definitely not Mellie's. I left this madness two and a half years ago and in circumstances beyond my control, I got dragged back in and I will not apologize for it! I won't apologize for who I am and who I love. And if you ever ask me to do that again, you can go straight to hell."

Cyrus actually looked like he could get knocked down by a feather. "I'm going to do you a favor, Cy. I'm not going to tell Fitz we talked about this, because I have a feeling he probably wanted to figure out how to deal with the Mellie situation on his own." Cyrus looked red in the face; she couldn't tell if it was anger or shame that was causing it.

"You hung up on Mellie? Liv, what am I supposed to do about this?"

"I have no idea, but that's your problem, not mine." She took off out of the room. She was so mad, she couldn't even see straight. She wanted to escape this place, but she couldn't. She couldn't just walk out the front door. She couldn't just buzz pass Morris like she did in the old days and wave him goodbye with a smile. She couldn't just take a little jaunt to her favorite restaurant or coffee shop. She was trapped. She remembered the times Fitz would talk about feeling trapped here, and she never quite got it until now. She took off to the third floor, the very top of the White House. She wanted to find a place of peace. She went through the Sun Room to the Promenade, which was basically a long patio that wrapped around the entire third floor. President Eisenhower used to grill steaks up here with his family. She started to pace the length of the Promenade and she kept on going around in circles. She wasn't sure how long she was making her rounds when the door leading into the Sun Room opened and a man hesitantly stepped outside. "Uh, hello? Ms. Pope?"

Olivia stopped mid-pace. "Yes?"

"Hi, Ms. Pope, I'm Dr. Stanley Keyworth. Secret Service escorted me up here." She looked at him with some confusion, and then remembered. _Oh, great, the shrink._ Was it really already ten o'clock? "Oh yes, hi. Um, look, can we do this another time? Right now isn't the best for me."

"Too busy pacing, huh? So what has gotten you so upset?" He slouched against a wall. He wore an unassuming brown sports jacket, jeans and a polo shirt. He had salt and pepper hair and dark expressive eyes. He was probably in his late fifties and had a stocky frame with a slight paunch to his belly.

"You don't waste time, do you?"

"I cost four hundred and twenty-five dollars an hour. My clients appreciate me not wasting their time." He reached for cigarettes in his jacket pocket. He started to take one out of the case, and then stopped. "Damn, I forgot they took away my lighter at security. Do you have any matches?"

"I don't smoke and I don't really appreciate people smoking near me," she said tightly. He held up his hands. "No problem," he accepted her conditions and put his cigarettes away. "Smoking on the White House rooftop will just have to remain on my bucket list. Do you want to keep walking or do you want to grab one of those patio chairs?"

_Just get this over with, Olivia. _"Patio," she said shortly. They walked over to a couple of patio chairs and took a seat.

"So, what sent you up here pacing," he asked bluntly.

"There are a lot of reasons, but so far I do not know why I should tell you any of them."

"Fair enough," he said with a shrug. "Let me tell you a little bit about who I am. I'm from ATVA, the American Trauma Victims Association. We're commonly called in by the government to work with trauma victims. For example, the shooting at Hoover Elementary School, we worked with the survivors and their families. The Westbrook Mall bombing and the ATF standoff with the . . ."

Olivia interrupted him, ". . . Heaven's Rapture Compound in Hackling, Georgia. Yes, I googled you and your organization before you came. So you really charge the federal government four hundred and twenty-five dollars an hour? I'm surprised Fitz hasn't tried to gut your program. Look, I'm not the touchy-feely kind of person. I don't like to pour my heart out and have some stranger tell me it's going to be ok. This therapy stuff just doesn't work for me. Truly, Dr. Keyworth."

"Please, call me Stanley. Don't worry, I'm not touchy-feely, so we'll get along great. The work I do for ATVA is mostly pro-bono. But there won't be any special treatment for you," he said sardonically. "I'm charging you my regular fees because I know you can afford it. So tell me, what happened last night?"

"We got ambushed by some press and then left. It's pretty simple, when you think about it." In reality, Olivia couldn't actually remember a lot of the details of last night after they went to the boutique.

"It seems like there might have been more going on with you," Stanley persisted. "The Secret Service agents seemed concerned about your reaction to a press mob, so much so that they drove you to the White House instead of going back to Camp David."

"Yes, well, my reaction is not so unusual. Listen, I've helped my client go through a thousand media scenarios. I've walked them through press conferences and through mobs of reporters. I just wasn't use to it being me. After that incident, I actually had a fantastic night."She thought of Fitz and felt the heat rising to her cheeks. Stanley raised his eyebrows slightly. "It's got nothing to do with anything else," she stated emphatically. "It just was a silly reaction, I really don't think this is necessary to rehash everything."

Stanley just leaned back in his chair and didn't acknowledge her dismissal. "I understand your daughter was there too."

"Yes." Olivia didn't like where this was heading. Her daughter was off limits, as far as she was concerned.

"And how did she react," Stanley asked.

"I . . well, obviously she was upset too." She felt an urge to get up and start walking around the Promenade again, but she let it go.

"Was she crying," he probed.

"Umm, obviously." _Was Maya crying? She must have been crying._

"What did you do when she was crying?"

"I . . . must have comforted her." She always comforted Maya when she was upset. She was always there for her. She would never let anything harm her.

"Must have?"

"Of course, that's what mother's do," she said with a little edge in her voice.

"How did you comfort her?"

"I don't remember." _Why couldn't she remember?_

"Would it surprise you to hear that you held Maya without interacting with her from the shop all the way to the White House," he questioned her calmly.

"That can't be right." She creased her brows in confusion. She'd never let Maya cry like that. They went over the details again about how the night started and what she did when she got there. As soon as she came to the part where they opened the doors onto the press, she blanked. She couldn't remember the rest of the evening until Fitz started talking to her at the White House.

"OK, let's put that on the backburner for now," he suggested. "Tell me a little bit about when you were kidnapped. Who was in your house when you were kidnapped?"

"Oh, come on, Stanley, you must have read the story by now," Olivia sounded irritated. "You know every detail and I don't see why I need to tell you anything about that."

"Pretend I don't. Who was with you during the kidnapping?"

"My daughter, Maya, and the four people who worked for me," she wondered if this interrogation would ever end.

"What were their names," Stanley persisted.

"Does it matter?" As far as she could tell from the news stories she read, no one ever really talked about her household staff, at least not in any personal manner. They were just the four dead United Arabic Provinces citizens that almost provoked another war in the Middle East.

"I think it matters to you, doesn't it?" With that observation, Olivia attitude towards Stanley started to thaw a little.

"Their names were Leila bint Saeed Al-Nahyan, Abdul Aziz bin Saeed Al-Nahyan, Hammad bin Rashid Al-Fardan, Abdul Sahan bin Rahman Al-Shamsi" Olivia rattled off the names with ease. She was getting pretty good at speaking Arabic before she came back to the States.

"Leila and Abdul Asas . ."

"Aziz," Olivia corrected.

"Abdul Aziz and Leila, sound like they shared the same last name, were they married?"

"No, brother and sister. They had no other siblings. I guess it was lucky that their mother died a long time ago and didn't have to suffer the loss of her only children." Olivia started to talk about each of her staff, what they were like, what jokes they used to make, what adventures they'd have when they explored the city of Yadub together. After awhile, she realized she had talked more about her household employees than she had since she came back. She started to feel uncomfortable, like she was being tricked into giving more information than she wanted to. "I don't understand what the point of all this is."

"I'm trying to get you to tell me what happened. Can you tell me what happened when you were kidnapped?"

She gave the abbreviated version of events she gave most of the time. "I was in my backyard, I heard gunfire, and I was surrounded by masked gunmen and then knocked unconscious, I woke in a dark room where I stayed for about a week and then I was rescued. That's about it."

"That sounds like a lot. Did you see anyone killed?" She briefly had a flash of Hammad laughing at something Abdul Aziz said one time. "Hammad, he was one of my body guards. He grabbed me to try and protect me and then his head exploded when they shot him." He was so close she could feel the blood splattering on her. She started to shake a little.

"So, let's go back to last night. You shopped; Maya was playing with the other sales associates who you didn't know at the time were ratting out your location to the press. What happened next?"

"They opened the door and it was just a flood of lights and you could hear the gunshots," she said absently.

"Did you hear what you just said? You said gunshots, Olivia."

Olivia had a perplexed look on her face. "Did I? Well obviously there were no gunshots last night."

"No, there wasn't," Stanley said firmly. They sat quietly for awhile. Then he asked, "You're a 'fixer,' right?"

"No," she responded. "Not anymore. I've retired, full-time Mom now."

"But your job was crisis management. You must have handled a lot of tough situations in your career. This is a big crisis to fix, isn't it Olivia? Probably the biggest one you've ever seen and you're in the center of it. You're so focused on controlling the situation and making it better quickly that you can't even see you've been damaged."

"So, you've diagnosed me in 2 hours, huh?" She smiled sharply, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"Not so hard to do, Olivia. You have post traumatic stress disorder. At this point, in your mind, flashing cameras and the noises associated with it is triggering a response in you. They represent the kidnapping for you. What we need you to do is to start remembering the kidnapping without re-experiencing it. And that's going to take time."

"I literally don't have time for this. I've got a plan to deal with the media. I need to get out there with my story now. I've already waited too long. We've arranged a press conference this afternoon and I'm going to it."

"Ultimately, the decision is up to you, Olivia. I'd recommend taking it easy and probably not do a press conference today. The same thing that happened last night could happen again." Olivia's face dropped, this wasn't going to help the situation at all. "I don't want to get touchy-feely on you, Olivia, but it really is going to be alright. There are effective treatments for PTSD, therapeutic exercises to overcome your triggers and if you agree, we can meet once a week to get you through this."


	25. Chapter 25: Fitz and Olivia

Chapter 25: Fitz and Olivia

Fitz could feel the tension leaving him the closer he got to the Residence. It had been a long morning in the West Wing. He had met with the Director of Secret Services and chewed her out about the security detail on Olivia. She apologized profusely and said that the agents had been re-assigned. She then went over the new protocol each agent would go through in the field. "They were young agents and should have had someone more experienced with them and as the department head, I take full responsibility for it," Julia hesitated a moment before adding, "The First Family usually isn't spread so far apart. We must provide the same level of expertise in five different locations across the country, Texas, Connecticut, Massachusetts and now Camp David."

Fitz narrowed his eyes, _was she actually trying to make this his fault? _"If it is too difficult for you to do your job and make your organization work, then I will find someone who can. If there had been someone looking to hurt Olivia and Maya last night, your apologies would mean absolutely nothing."

"Yes, sir, you are completely right. There are no excuses," Julia said a little shamed-faced. She then went over her weekly report on threats on the First Family that were compiled in coordination with the FBI and Homeland Security. "We've been hearing a lot of chatter lately among some white nationalists group, on white power music fan sites and some blogs that have raised concerns. We are taking some people in for questioning and tracking their movements."

Fitz felt his stomach tighten thinking about how some faceless forces out there could just decide to go after Olivia and Maya and how completely reliant he was on others to protect them. "I need you and your people to be better at this, Julia. I need to know that they are safe." How many random nuts and methodical haters would it take until one of them broke through their defenses? "I know, sir, I know," She looked like she genuinely felt the weight of her responsibility with his admonishment. "We _will_ protect them. And we will not let the same mistakes happen again, sir."

"And let's make sure you don't make new ones, either."

The rest of the morning was full of meetings on other national security issues and the farm bill that stalled. He had to admit, he was doing a lot of clock-watching, willing noon to arrive sooner. When his last meeting went fifteen minutes overtime, it was all he could do not to just physically throw them out of the Oval Office.

When he finally got home, he found Olivia in the nursery saying goodbye to James. Maya was engrossed with her blocks. "I'll email the interview times. I really think you'll find someone that will work." James picked up Ella, slung his bag across his shoulder, and said goodbye to Fitz.

As soon as he was gone, Olivia wrapped her arms around Fitz's waist and buried her head in his chest. He asked, "Rough morning, huh?" She nodded her head, not looking up. "Want to talk about it?" She shook her head no. And so he just held her tightly. He could feel her chest rise and fall against his. She was real. She was safe and she was his. He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back. When she finally broke off, he gently held her face and wiped the tears from her eyes with his thumbs. He gave her a soft open kiss and she smiled.

Fitz then picked up Maya and they walked to the dining room where lunch was already set up. Eventually, Olivia opened up about her meeting with Dr. Keyworth and his diagnosis. "Well, it sounds like this guy knows what he's talking about. You know, I met him briefly during that whole Heaven's Rapture fiasco down in Georgia. He seemed like a good guy. Maybe it's a good idea to keep working with him."

"Maybe," Olivia said noncommittally. She felt uncomfortable about the idea of opening up to anyone, she knew too many secrets. It would never be a completely honest conversation about her whole life, it couldn't be. However, if she could limit it to working out her immediate issues relating to the kidnapping, it might be worth it. "This just really messes up my plans. I need to get out there. I need to hold a press conference. I need to tell my story."

"You need to do what's right for you and not worry about the press, the narrative and all the other nonsense. Because it doesn't matter, Livvie. It truly doesn't. People are going to say what they want to say. Think what they want to think. We know the truth, and that's all that matters, really." He could see Olivia was about to protest and he cut her off. "I know we need public perception in our favor in order to accomplish certain things, but all that is secondary Olivia. It doesn't mean anything compared to you and Maya. It means nothing at all." When she heard her name, Maya looked up from the sandwich she was picking apart and smiled. Fitz smiled back and then teased her about how she was eating her sandwich, which made Maya laugh. Olivia silently observed their interactions and thought; _this really is all that matters. _

Still, she wanted to be heard. She had her pride, and didn't like the fact she hadn't been able to speak out against some of the misinterpretations and flat-out falsehoods relating to the kidnapping and her life. She wanted to at least say her peace. "Maybe I could do a print interview," she thought out loud. A one-on-one seemed less threatening to her than standing in front of a microphone with all of cameras on her. Fitz contemplated it, "That might not be such a bad idea, if that's what you truly want to do."

"If we could find someone that would do a friendly interview, put it in a paper's weekend magazine as a public interest story, I could ease myself into the shark infested waters. It would probably be the topic of all the Sunday morning talk shows." She laughed out loud when a sudden idea occurred to her, "We could get James to do a freelance interview for his old paper."

"Maybe he knows too much about us," Fitz said uneasily. He always felt a little uncomfortable having a formal journalist taking care of Maya.

"He wants to write an authorized biography on us, you know." Fitz rolled his eyes at that information. "Well, if he ever hopes to do that, he knows he can't throw curve balls at me right away."

"Cyrus will flip out."

"That's a bonus." Olivia couldn't help from letting a little of her contempt show at that point. Fitz immediately picked up on it, "God damn it, he told you didn't he? That son of a bitch!"

"Fitz," Olivia reprimanded watching Maya, who now seemed very interested in what they were saying. "Sorry," he said, glancing at his daughter. "I'm going to fire him," he stated calmly.

"You're not going to fire him," Olivia responded, defending her friend, in spite of her anger. "First of all, he's got too much dirt on you and second, he's very good at his job, even if he's a manipulative S.O.B. I told him I wouldn't say anything to you. Oops."

"What exactly did he tell you?" Fitz felt his blood boil, Cy did precisely what he told him not to do. Olivia downplayed the conversation, still trying to protect her former mentor despite his actions. Fitz told Olivia that he planned to call Mellie later that day to try and get her to back down. "I'm not sure there is anything really to say. Mellie can be very stubborn, even if it might not be in her own interest. I sure as hell am not going to apologize for having you here last night." Olivia was about to say something, and he stopped her, "No, I don't even want to hear it. You are not going to play martyr at the altar of Mellie's ego."

"I wasn't planning to. I was going to say, we probably need to start working on a contingency plan regarding Mellie. I'll talk to Harrison this afternoon, I was planning to stop by the offices, but I think I'll just call him on the way back to Camp David." She knew that there would be a lot of cameras camped out at her old office building, hoping for a possible shot of Olivia. "You can deal with Cyrus," Olivia had little patience with the Chief of Staff at the moment. Fitz agreed and they finished up their lunch chatting about things that had nothing to do with the kidnapping, his divorce or Cyrus Beene. Fitz was reluctant to leave, but he had an afternoon of meetings, so he gave Maya a hug goodbye and left Liv with a lingering kiss.

Olivia and Maya were taken out of the White House discretely; however, it was an open secret that they had stayed there that night. When Olivia called to explain that she wouldn't be doing a press conference to Harrison, she could tell he was annoyed. She did not disclose the fact she was diagnosed with PTSD, but really, it didn't matter. There was no time for having personal hang-ups in her former profession. Everyone, including the clients, just needed to do what they needed to do to get the job done. Olivia wasn't holding up her end right now. Harrison did like the idea of a print interview, even though it wouldn't have the same impact as getting her to do a press conference. She said she'd call James later about it.

"Do we have anyone working on the inside of Mellie's campaign," Olivia questioned.

"Lauren knows a few people she's worked with on other campaigns she's been tapping. And Huck, well, he's been finding out information through other means." Olivia was sure those "other means" included hacking and other spying techniques that would make the Watergate break-in look like child's play. She didn't want to know too much about it to maintain deniability.

"Put your ears to the ground today, I think something may about to go down," she said uneasily. Mellie was about to go off script in a big way, she could feel it. When they arrived at their lodge in Camp David, Buckley was there to greet them. The poor dog got left behind since no one knew they would spend the night at the White House. Maya ran up to him and gave him a big hug. They all went for a long walk on the forested trails of the compound. When they got back, she called James and floated the idea of an interview by him. He couldn't have been more excited, although he was obviously trying his hardest to maintain an objective cool exterior. He would come to Camp David the next day and interview her.

She spent the rest of the afternoon, going back and forth with James on the terms of the interview when she wasn't playing with Maya. Fitz wouldn't be there until late, but then he would be all theirs for three days. And his sons. Olivia felt a familiar nervousness in the pit of her stomach. She kept her fingers cross that the boys and Maya would get along. She had no idea how this weekend would go, and while she really needed them to love Maya, truth told, she secretly hoped they would like her too.

Fitz was in the middle of a long day, and his lack of sleep was catching up to him. He didn't see Cyrus until about three that afternoon. Fitz had a feeling that his Chief of Staff was deliberately avoiding him, so he told his secretary to summon him. "If you ever go behind my back like that and try to use Olivia again, I'm firing you, I swear to God."

Cyrus stood there with a stunned expression on his face. "This ship is full of holes, I'm bailing out the water as fast as I can, and you are talking about firing me? If I had any sense, I'd quit! Liv understands what's at stake here, although she's a little off her game right now. If she wasn't she'd know that the Mellie situation needs to be handled and if you can't come up with a couple of lies to placate your ex, we are all going down!"

They went back and forth for awhile until Fitz said, "Cy, this ultimately is between Mellie and me. Not you, and certainly not Liv. Using Liv to get to me is off limits to you now, Cy. You don't get to divide and conquer anymore. If you thought you experienced Siberia after I found out about Defiance, you will experience a nuclear winter if you ever do this again. Am I clear?" Cyrus nodded his head in assent and then left the room fuming.

Fitz had been trying to find the best time to talk to Mellie. His latest conversations with Olivia and Cyrus had just made him angrier with her, and he wanted to approach the conversation in the right frame of mind so that he might actually have an impact on the situation. He had made an effort to think back to the times when they got along, when they were friends and when they shared the same goals. He was twenty-nine when he met Mellie. Looking back at it now, it was an obvious set up by their families, but he didn't complain at the time. He wasn't like a lot of the younger students in his law school. He had seen a lot of the world and knew exactly the direction his life was going. And while his father pressured him into a political career, it's what he wanted as well. He didn't share his father's cynicism though; it wasn't about power for him, he honestly thought he could make a difference in the world by getting into politics.

At the time, he thought Mellie would make a perfect partner to achieve his plans. She was smart, graceful and ambitious. He had no illusions: he didn't love her and she didn't love him, at least not the kind of romantic love he always read about. Looking at his Mom and how much she wasted her life on his philandering Dad, he didn't see how love was a good thing anyway. So they got married and embarked on his political career together. She was fantastic at fundraising, she was able to turn on the charm and get just a little bit more money from donors. She had no problem with the logistics of politics, she loved talking about who was up and who was down and how they would squash the competition. But when he tried to talk to her about the meaning behind the politics, about his ultimate goals behind each office he pursued, about what motivated him philosophically in each issue, she grew bored and irritated. He began to realize that for all of her intelligence, she had a pretty shallow outlook on the world. To her the ultimate goal of politics was power itself and how to acquire and maintain it was her ambition.

He soon found that he really didn't share a lot in common with her and there were times when he didn't even really like her. When she became pregnant with Jerry, he thought things might change. However, it became clear after he was born that they couldn't even really share the joys of parenthood together. While she loved to play up her children to the cameras, she had little patience for motherhood when the media wasn't looking. They both did what was necessary to navigate the cold waters of their marriage in order to further his political career. It worked for a long time; they stopped really speaking to each other for years and they hardly even noticed.

He had resigned himself to this fate until he met Olivia. The revelation that another life was possible, one where he could share passion and common interest with someone, hit him like a ton of bricks. He tried to fight it at first; he wasn't going to be one of those cautionary political tales of someone who lost it all in a foolish moment of desire. But the more he got to know Olivia; the more difficult it became to resist. He was in love with Olivia before he had even touched her, and when he finally did, he didn't think it was possible to ever let her go. Of course, the reality became that forces kept on driving them apart and they were separated longer than they ever were together. That connection never really severed, though, despite everything. There were even times when he tried to re-commit himself to his marriage with Mellie, but it never worked. The same problems that were always there in the marriage were amplified.

Now he had to deal with furious Mellie again, just when it seemed like he was so close to not having to do this anymore. In the past, he would just wind up apologizing for practically anything just to stop the argument and shut her up. And that's essentially what Cyrus was telling him to do, for old time's sake. This time he couldn't do it, he couldn't apologize for trying to live honestly, for perhaps the first time in his life. He wouldn't apologize for being with Olivia. But he had to do something, so he picked up the phone and called her, not knowing exactly what he was going to say.

"I understand you are pulling out of the joint statement on the divorce," he said, trying to keep his voice neutral.

"Since nothing about this divorce has been 'joint,' I don't see why our statements have to be," Mellie said with a stinging bite.

"Mellie, stop, please. Aren't you sick of the fighting? It truly doesn't have to be like this."

"It has to be exactly like this," Mellie fumed. "You don't show me any respect, Fitz. None, even after all we've been through. We haven't even filed the papers yet and you've moved your mistress into my house!"

"I understand you are upset that Olivia stayed here last night, but it's not your house, Mellie. It's not even mine. It's the White House. It's where I live. It's where I work. It's been my entire life for the past five and a half years. Olivia is a part of my life now. She's not going away. And she has been through an incredible amount recently."

"Your mistress' feelings are not my top priority, Fitz," Mellie said sweetly.

"Isn't there even a little bit of compassion left in you," he said, truly baffled by her attitude. "I mean, I know you don't like her very much, but she isn't a stranger to you. She was held hostage for a week, and you never even acknowledged it."

"I did," she said indignantly.

"Oh yeah, I forgot, you did in the press. I guess that all that really matters, right?"

"Of course, I was concerned about her well being, Fitz. I'm not some heartless monster; no matter how much easier it would be for you to believe it." She almost sounded sincere for a moment. She was getting good at faking emotions on the campaign trail. "But I was angry and I am still angry. I'm here slugging through a campaign for Senate, and I'm actually not even sure why. I never wanted this. I would have been content to be First Lady and then retire to our ranch in Santa Barbara giving speaking engagements and hosting DAR luncheons. But here I am, trying to build my own legacy because you didn't want to share yours with me anymore."

_Could she be telling the truth?_ He always assumed she had political ambitions of her own, but maybe she never wanted to actually risk not being loved by the general public. Being First Lady was much safer than actually running for office. "Look, Mellie, I know you did whatever you thought was necessary to get me further in politics, even when I didn't ask you to do it." Thoughts of Defiance and her fake miscarriage went flashing through his mind. He put the anger aside and tried to hold on to the gratitude. "I thank you for that, I really do. And I'm truly sorry that I couldn't be the partner you hoped for when you entered into this marriage. But this is a chance to start over, for both of us Mellie. So, can we just start putting this behind us? The divorce is going to happen, but we don't need to be vicious to each other, Mellie. Please, can we just issue that joint statement when I file and promise not carry out a war in the media?"

Mellie was quite at the other end for awhile, and then she said, "I'll think about it. I'll let you know tomorrow." And then she hung up abruptly.

When Olivia called around six thirty, he gave her the gist of the conversation, telling her that he thought it went as well as could be expected and all they could do now was wait. "When did you talk to her, Fitz," Olivia asked anxiously.

"Around four o'clock, why," he asked curiously.

"I just talked to Harrison. She cancelled all of her campaign appearances today. She's been meeting with her lawyers off and on all day. She entered into a meeting with them at five thirty and it's still going. My gut tells me she's up to no good. She could be deciding to file in Texas." Fitz knew that if Mellie filed in Texas, not only would that delay proceedings, but she could list adultery as a reason for the divorce, which not only provide fresh fodder for the media, but could lead to an inequitable division of property. "Your paperwork is all ready to be filed, right? Do you know what time does the clerk's office close in Santa Barbara?"

"It closes at four o'clock their time, but there is a drop box that stays open until five," He had found out about the times just in case they needed to do a quick filing.

"Fitz, you need to get your lawyers to file now. This late in the day, the filing probably won't show up in their case information system until tomorrow and we can release a press statement then. But you need to do it now!"

"What if she wants to go through with the joint statement?" He trusted Liv, but he was really hoping that his conversation made a difference.

"Worry about that tomorrow, file now. I'm telling you, I'm not wrong," she said with absolute confidence.

"OK, Liv. I'll give them a call now." He made the arrangements with his lawyers. He then informed Cyrus who became so red in the face, Fitz was concerned he might have a heart attack. "Cyrus, it's going to be ok. Let's hold back the big guns on Mellie and see what she's up to first. Go home tonight and I'll talk to you in the morning." When Cyrus was about to say something, Fitz cut him off and said, "That's an order. Go home."

It was eight o'clock before he had a chance to speak to Olivia again. "Guess what Livvie? I'm getting a divorce!" He could almost hear her smile. "Come home, Fitz."

And with that, he left the White House for the evening on his way home. For Olivia was his only true home.


	26. Chapter 26: Olivia and Fitz

**A/N Thanks everyone for keeping up with the story. I've had a blast writing it so far. Feedback is life!**

Chapter 26: Olivia and Fitz

"Wake up, Livvie, I want to show you something." Olivia slowly opened her eyes to see Fitz staring at her eagerly. She smiled at his expression and then stretched, arching her back. "Are you always going to wake me at ungodly hours? What time is it, anyway?" She glanced out the window, and saw it was still dark outside.

"It's very early." he admitted before giving her a soft, warm kiss. "We have just enough time. Come on, please," he pleaded. He held her hands and pulled her up. She groaned a little, "Where are we going?"

"For a walk. Get dressed," he ordered. "I checked on Maya, don't worry. She's dead to the world." Fitz arrived at Camp David around nine o'clock the night before. They were pretty exhausted after a long day with little sleep. As soon as they put Maya down, they both crashed, with Fitz spooned up against Liv, his hand firmly cupping her breast like it was a security blanket. Fitz woke up around three and felt rejuvenated; he'd been staring at the clock ever since trying to let Olivia sleep. But he couldn't help feeling like he didn't want to waste a moment around her, so he started making arrangements to take her on a short hike. Olivia moved a little slowly, putting on her jeans, a t-shirt and a light jacket. They took a trail that she hadn't been on before using flashlights to light their path. They went up a fairly steep hill and reached the top. The hill leveled off and had a nice open grass space overlooking the valley below.

Fitz opened the backpack he'd been carrying and took out a sleeping bag that he unzipped and spread out. He sat down on it and patted the ground next to him. She joined him and they wrapped their arms around each other. She rested her head on his chest. The stars were still out. They were far enough from the city lights that she could actually see the band of the Milky Way. The night was lifting swiftly and soon day would break. She could hear the cicadas and crickets chirping. The songbirds were just starting to wake up. "It's beautiful out here," she whispered. He knew she'd appreciate this. They sat mostly in silence as they watched the dawn come, the sky turning purple, then pink where the sun would rise. Finally the golden sun peaked over the valley. He looked at her bathed in its light and thought she'd never looked more radiant.

"It's a new world," he said quietly. She turned to him and smiled. "It is," she agreed, remembering their conversation over the Constitution. She didn't know what the day would bring. She didn't know what new complications would develop with Mellie, or what would happen when she met his son, Jerry. But she felt like something had finally started. After all this time, it was official. He was getting a divorce. Maybe she shouldn't be celebrating the demise of a marriage, but she couldn't help feeling happy that it was finally happening. It seemed so long ago when she told Fitz that they were in this together, when she finally put her heart out there and told him that she loved him. Of course, love couldn't keep them together that time, but here, now, in this moment, she knew it was enough. "It's a new world," she repeated.

"I love you, Olivia. And I'm so glad you are here to share this with me," he smiled. "Me too, Fitz," she replied softly. He pulled her into his lap and then took head in his hands and gently grazed her mouth with a feather-light kiss. He inhaled her breath as she exhaled, and then gave her a deeper kiss, drawing her tongue into his mouth. They stripped each other of every stitch of clothing, and made love in the morning light. He sat cross-legged, and she had her legs wrapped around his torso. They held each other's arms tightly, chests pressed against each other, rocking each other back and forth, slowly at first and then with increased speed. They never took their eyes off each other, watching every emotion, every moment of pleasure cross each other's face. He shuddered inside her as they reached a climax. He lay back down with her on his chest, fully spent. They stayed there for only a little while, knowing that they must get back and face the new day together.

Back at the lodge, they got ready for the day and were already making phone calls before Maya was awake. Fitz's lawyers had filed the paperwork as requested by leaving them in the drop box. No reporters who may have been waiting for a filing would know about it until at least eleven o'clock Eastern time. They would need to release some kind of statement by then. The tricky part was that the courts in Austin opened at nine o'clock Eastern and they wouldn't know if Mellie filed until they talked to a clerk at the courthouse at that time. By then, she could have already released a statement and got ahead of them. It was important for them to be first to spin the narrative in the best possible way.

Olivia got on the phone to Harrison who put their conversation on speaker so all of the associates could hear. "Is there any . . . uh, other way we can find out if they are filing before the courts open up in Texas?" She skirted around the legality of what she was asking. Huck chimed in, "I've already looked into it. All lawyers in Texas are required to file their paperwork electronically and they can do it up until midnight for it to be considered filed on that day. I was able to hack into her lawyers' system and found out that they did file late last night."

She really didn't want to be hearing this, flashes of Congressional hearings on the President hacking into his ex-wife's lawyer's network danced in her head. Then she mentally shrugged, they had already done far more heinous things for this administration and for other clients. "Can you get a copy of the paperwork so we can read what it says?" Harrison then added, "I've already read it, Liv. It's pretty standard stuff, 'irreconcilable differences.' The interesting thing is what she left off. She didn't list adultery as a stated reason."

"That is strange," she said, puzzled by this new information. "Keep on it and let me know if you find out anything more. I'll call you back soon." She relayed the information to Fitz, who had just gotten off the phone with Cyrus. "I don't understand why she would file in Texas if she didn't use the thing that would hurt you the most by filing there," she said, confused.

Fitz shook his head and gave a twisted smile. "I do. She's playing a game of chicken with us. She knows that we'd go after her with both barrels if she did list adultery. That we'd bring up her own indiscretions, and all the other dirt we have on her. If we do that, we all know that both Mellie and I are toast. Filing in Texas is just a way for her to assert control of the situation and to show everyone that even if we've filed for exactly the same reasons, we are not on the same page. The media will do its own work, furthering the narrative of the philandering husband and bury me without her help. She plans to kill me with a thousand paper cuts without leaving a fingerprint." He didn't know why he felt surprised. He just was hoping that her sense of self-preservation was greater than her vindictiveness. He could already see the months of an escalating war ahead of them, the damage it would do to his children, to his administration and to Olivia. Maybe it wasn't worth it. Maybe he should just quit now.

She hated to see him look this pessimistic, particularly when the day started off so good. "Well, we've got a few paper cuts to hand out too and she's at a disadvantage, she doesn't have me or Harrison Wright and Associates by her side." She wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a kiss. He smiled and kissed her back, "You are my lucky charm."

She broke off the hug and started pacing, trying to figure out a new plan. "Let's release the statement, using most of the language when it was supposed to be a joint statement with Mellie. If we come out with it first, people will be confused when she comes out with her separate statement later. They'll question why she is trying to distance herself from the original statement. They'll also question why she's filing in Texas, when clearly it is not the right venue for the divorce. It could come across as petty to the general public. Let's add some language too. We've been leaking for about a week that you two had already planned on getting a divorce before I reappeared. Let's just put it in the statement. It's the truth. We'll give Mellie a little wiggle room and not give a specific time, so she doesn't look like a complete opportunist by using you to run for Senate. We'll hold off on the dirt for now to give her the chance to come back on board."

"Sounds like a plan," he approved, feeling a bit more optimistic. They did a conference call with everyone from the HWA and with Cyrus' team at the White House to put the new plan into play. At the end of the call, Maya called out for her mother from her bedroom.

And so the day began.


	27. Chapter 27: Harrison

Chapter 27: Harrison

" . . . Well it is official: The President and the First Lady are getting a divorce. The White House issued a statement this morning . . ." _CLICK _". . . filed late yesterday afternoon at the Santa Barbara County Superior Court . . ." _CLICK _ " . . . respect the privacy of the First Family during this time. . ." _CLICK _ ". . . divorce in works before the hostage crisis . . ." _CLICK _" . . . confirms rumors that have been swirling for months . . ." _CLICK _ " . . . continues to support Mellie Grant's run for Senator . . ." _CLICK _ ". . . coming up, Doris Kearns Goodwin joins the panel to discuss the historical implications of the first President to divorce while in office . . ."

It was the third hour of the news cycle, and so far, Mellie's camp had been silent. They had been caught by surprise, that's for sure. By now, anyone with the inclination could discover that Mellie had filed her own divorce papers in Austin, but no one in the media had caught it and no one from Mellie's team had issued a statement. She would do something no doubt. Still, this was a great jump. Things were happening in their favor, at least for the President. He shook his head, thinking again about how Liv dropped the ball yesterday. Timing was everything in their line of work, and really yesterday was past time for her to address the public. She had been back in the United States for nearly two weeks now. And while his team did a great job coordinating with the White House in issuing statements on her behalf, leaking positive information, she needed to step up to the plate and get out there.

She was one of the most powerful people in Washington before she left. She still had a huge amount of influence because of all the secrets she held, and yet the media persisted on portraying her as a woman who slept her way to the top. Even by the people who knew her in the media, who knew that she gave them solid information and great stories, she was framed as the exotic temptress more often than not. It was lazy reporting, frankly. The thing that would turn that narrative around the most was for her to just get out there. The interview with James this afternoon was a start. It would portray her in good light, but it wasn't enough.

The office was having a quiet moment. People were in their offices catching up with other work, waiting for Hurricane Mellie to touch ground. Harrison went to Abby's office. "We haven't been selling Olivia's story enough."

Abby looked up from a file she was reading. "You're just now figuring that out? It's been lover boy 24/7 for the past three weeks. Granted, it helped get her back two weeks ago, but the media is still calling her every version of whore. Liv won't go in front of the cameras without the Prez, so that hasn't been helpful." Abby rolled her eyes even talking about the President.

"We need to do more than leak good stories about Olivia," Harrison thought out loud. "We need people that know her to go on the talk shows and . . ."

"Already ahead of you," Abby interrupted. "I'm looking through old case files seeing whose asses Olivia saved who'd be willing to speak up. Of course many of them are so dirty we don't want them to talk, but there are more than a few with tarnished halos that would be good for the Sunday morning circuit to talk about the person who walked into their lives and saved it."

"Good, try to focus on the women. So the working professionals and soccer moms out there might relate."

Abbey raised her eyebrows and smiled. "I'm very good at my job, Harrison. I've already got two female CEOs and the wife of that New York politician who got caught sleeping around lined up." Harrison broke out his grin. She may grouse a lot, but she always came through in the end. "Well, let's get more," he encouraged. "I want Sunday packed with our people. I want Nightline and the cable news tonight as well."

He then brought Lauren and Josh in to talk about getting more people and booking the shows. Harrison started working on files with Abby in her office and they both were making phone calls from there. After awhile, Quinn poked her head in the room. "Hurricane Mellie has landed." They all went into Harrison's office to watch the array of television screens.

BNC already had dramatic graphics and theme music for The Presidential Divorce. "This just in: surprising development on Presidential Divorce coming out of Texas. Apparently the First Lady has filed her own paperwork in Austin. A statement was just issued from her campaign stating that she felt it was in her best interest to file for divorce in Texas and that she hopes people will be understanding at this difficult time. This move is unusual considering that most of their property is in California and she just moved to establish residency in Texas six months ago. Let's turn to our senior legal correspondent, Whitney Steele. Whitney, what do you make of this?"

Whitney was a very blonde woman in her late thirties who did specials on the biggest celebrity divorces and notorious legal cases. "Reed, the fact that she filed in Texas could just be a jockeying of position in marriage settlement negotiations. Texas does allow for adultery to be a stated reason for divorce, but only irreconcilable differences were listed in the petition. This was done in California as well. It doesn't make too much sense for her to file in Texas and it looks like she filed late last night after the President had already filed in California. So, it looks like it was a race to file." Harrison clapped and pumped his fist, the narrative was going their way.

Huck was sitting down at Harrison's desk scrolling through a twitter feed on his laptop. "Uh-oh, looks like Karen Grant is taking sides. She just tweeted that she's going to spend the weekend with her fabulous Mom." Well, that wouldn't look good for the President in the court of public opinion if his kids started to speak up against him.

Just then Lauren came in the conference room. "I've talked to all my contacts on all the Sunday morning shows. Good news/bad news. Good news: we've set up the interviews for our former clients, which will help Olivia. Bad news: Mellie is booked on all of the talk shows. She's doing the Full Ginsburg." Harrison shook his head. This is exactly what he was afraid of when they filed yesterday. He wanted the President to be able to do all the Sunday morning talk shows after he filed but he absolutely wasn't going to do it this week because his kids were coming to visit. Mellie would be the first one talking about the divorce publicly. What she would say was anyone's guess.


	28. Chapter 28: Jerry

Chapter 28: Jerry

**A/N I didn't think I would do POV chapters from characters that haven't really been established on the show. I don't want to create a Mary Sue or whatever the equivalent is for a guy. This story is about Olivia and Fitz and all of the POVs go to tell their story. However, I felt it was important to get one of Fitz's kids' point of view at this time in the story. I tried to base Jerry on what little we know about him on the show. This is probably the only POV chapter he will have. **

He clutched the rabbit in his hands tightly as the limo made its way through the winding roads of the Catoctin Mountain ridge. Jerry wasn't sure what to get her. He knew Teddy liked anything that he could roll on the floor or stack up high so he could crash into it. His little brother wasn't that interested in stuffed animals. Then he remembered that Karen loved stuffed animals. She'd spend hours in her room making elaborate stories about each of her "friends." She kept one of them named Lamby forever. She carried it around everywhere she went. He remembered how filthy it became during the two weeks they fully campaigned for their Dad the first time around. Mom almost had it thrown away. Karen had left it behind on the plane when she ran out to greet their Dad. Mom picked it up by two fingers with her nose upturned and told their caregiver Carmela to get rid of it.

"No," he declared adamantly. "No, you are not going to throw it away! That's Karen's stuffed animal, not yours." Mom turned and looked at him, shocked that he had spoken to her like that. He rarely spoke up at all, let alone confronted his mother. He saw the hard look in her eye, he was about to hear her wrath. Then Carmela intervened, "Mrs. Grant I can wash this pet, no problem. Good as new. With her going to boarding school, maybe she needs it a little longer?" Carmela chatted happily with Mrs. Grant distracting her from arguing with her son. Their nanny always had a way of doing that, of smoothing things out before they escalated. He missed her. Carmela had been with them since he was born. She was an older woman who had already raised her children and a few of her grandchildren. She had already decided to retire after the campaign, regardless of the outcome. Both he and his sister were sent to boarding school that fall; he to Massachusetts and she to Connecticut. Carmela was retained until after the election so when they had a free weekend, she took care of them. She then went to Arizona to live with her son. He still called and talked to her occasionally. She was kind to listen.

He finally decided on a stuffed animal for Maya at the toy store. When he went to pay for it, the cashier asked him if he also wanted the book. He looked at the animal again and he remembered. It was The Velveteen Rabbit, Dad use to read that book to him when he was young. It was about loving a thing so much it became real. He got the book too. He hoped she would like it.

He looked up and saw the sign for Catoctin Mountain Park. They were almost there. This had already been a bizarre day. He had already known that the divorce announcement would come any moment, Dad prepared him for that. He also called him this morning right before the press release went out. He braced himself for a new round of snickering from some of the kids at school. He had no idea that so many people he knew felt comfortable telling racist jokes until he found out that his dad had an affair with a black woman and that he had a bi-racial sister. He actually started a physical fight with one of these people when it first came out; his Secret Service Agent broke it up immediately. Although he never got the best grades, he was always considered an easy-going guy who never got in a fight. He was sent to the Principal's office and almost got suspended. He didn't react this time around. He just ignored the taunts. Still, he was glad it was only a half day. Finals were next week and they were let off early that Friday to prepare.

He called Karen a couple of days ago and again pleaded with her to join him this weekend. She once again refused. "I can't believe that you're perfectly ok just going to see Dad and his new girlfriend, like it was completely normal."

"I'm not going to see his ah," he really didn't know what to call her. "I'm not there to see Olivia Pope. I'm going there to meet our little sister. Karen, she's family. We don't turn our back on family."

"Dad turned his back on us," she accused.

"No, he didn't. He would never turn his back on you or me or Teddy. And you know that. You know the truth, Karen. You've always known it. This divorce should have happened years ago." He hadn't convinced her. She was just as angry as ever judging by that ridiculous tweet she sent out earlier that day.

He felt his heart race as they reached the gates of Camp David. They pulled up to the Aspen Lodge and his dad was there to greet him. "Jerry, it's so good to see you," he said smiling, clasping his son's shoulder and then drawing him into a big hug. Jerry returned it awkwardly. His father looked surprisingly happy, in spite of all the craziness that was happening. It was a relief. For most of his life, he considered his dad to be a good one, even if he was a little absent. He would read and play with him when he had time. He would hold him if he got scared and told great stories. His dad was an extremely busy man though. Dad worked long hours and Jerry really only saw him on the weekends even before he went to boarding school. Even so, Jerry was proud to have him as his father.

That was before Dad turned into an absolute monster for about a year after Teddy was born. Jerry didn't understand it at the time. His father loved his little brother, but everything else seemed to set him off. At first he thought that maybe it was really true, sometimes parents just replaced older kids with younger kids in their hearts. However, the fact that his father was drinking so heavily made him think that it was something different.

Dad got so mean, that both he and Karen reached out to _Mom_ to intervene. Shortly afterwards, his father came to visit him and his sister separately at their boarding schools. Dad told Jerry that he was deeply sorry for his behavior and that he had some personal issues to deal with that had nothing to do with him or Karen. Things started to improve. A few months after that, their parents sat them down while they were all at the White House and told them that they were getting a divorce. Karen was upset and ran off to her room. The thing that he dreaded since he first heard about the word "divorce" was finally coming to pass but all he felt was a sense of relief. No more fighting. No more cold wars between his parents. He tried to comfort his little sister with this, reminding her about how much better they got along with them when they were apart. Of course, the divorce wouldn't happen for awhile so Dad could get re-elected and Mom could become a Senator. They had to pretend to be a happy family for the cameras a little longer. He actually got pretty good at that.

"How are you holding up? Were people supportive today," his father asked, concern written over his face. "Yeah," he said, not revealing that some people were downright assholes about the situation. "People were fine. I'm doing fine, Dad." He had a couple of good friends who stood by him through the whole mess. In fact, one friend, Matt Hill, offered for him to spend the summer with his family on Martha's Vineyard to get away from the chaos. Jerry wanted to take Matt up on the offer.

Dad wrapped his arms around his shoulders and started to walk him up to the Lodge. "I'm glad to hear that, Jerry. I know this whole situation must be difficult for you and I want to thank you for coming. It means so much to me that you want to meet Maya and Olivia." Jerry didn't respond. In truth, he felt ambivalent about meeting Ms. Pope again. He really liked her during the campaign. She always seemed interested in what he was saying and drew him into long conversations, even though he was barely ten. He might have even had a little crush on her. But she represented a side of his father he knew nothing about.

He never thought Dad would cheat on Mom. Even after all the fighting, after the years of silence, after he figured out that his parents never loved each other in the first place, he always believed that his dad's honor would never allow him to cheat. His father made a vow and he would keep it. When the whole Amanda Tanner scandal broke, he was so angry. He knew that it was all a pack of lies. His father would never do that sort of thing. When the truth came out, he felt vindicated, even if he had to hear all the embarrassing jokes about his parents' sex tape. After the hostage crisis began, he felt devastated. One more thing he thought he knew about his Dad was taken away from him. Still, he felt an overwhelming since of dread that Ms. Pope and the little sister he never met would die. He was so relieved when they were both rescued.

They entered the Lodge just as Ms. Pope said goodbye to James and Ella. "Check your email, I'll probably have some follow up questions," James said as he picked up Ella. "Fine, James," she responded, but she wasn't looking at him anymore. She stared right at Jerry. She appeared as nervous as he felt. James stood back for a bit and observed what was happening.

Dad stepped in. "Goodbye, James, we'll talk to you later," he said firmly. James nodded, clapped Jerry's shoulder on the way out and said, "Nice to see you, kiddo."

The little girl had been playing with some toys on the floor. When she noticed someone new had come into the lodge, she ran up to her mom and hugged her leg. Her mother picked her up and held her on her hip. "It's really good to see you again, Jerry," she said with a smile. She has kind eyes. He always remembered that about her.

"It's good to see you, to Ms. Pope. I'm so glad you are alright," he said truthfully.

"Thank you so much. Please call me Olivia," she said encouragingly.

"Olivia," Jerry repeated. He looked to his Dad who was quietly watching both of them. Jerry then looked at Maya. For weeks, the only image he had of her was a crying little girl in the middle of a room all alone. She was a beautiful child. She had huge eyes that followed his every movement. "Ah, I got something for her." He held out the stuffed bunny. "There's a book that goes with it in my suitcase."

"The Velveteen Rabbit, that's very sweet, Jerry. She'll love it," Olivia assured him. Maya looked at the rabbit for awhile before she grabbed it from his hands .She gave it a test squeeze, before she turned her eyes back to him.

He reached out and stroked her back. "Hi, Maya, I'm your brother, Jerry." She gave him a shy smile.


	29. Chapter 29: Fitz and Olivia

Chapter 29: Fitz and Olivia

**A/N: Well, Olivia and Fitz get turned on by a farm bill, Jerry bonds with his sister, and Fitz tells a ghost story. Feedback is life!**

_Maya is a life saver, in more ways than one_, Olivia thought, as she watched Jerry read the book he gave her earlier in the day. This was his second time reading it, but they had gone through the stack of books Maya brought him and were starting over. She cornered another sucker. The siblings were sitting in one of the big overstuffed chair in the living room. Liv sat on the couch, and pretended to get caught up on the day's headlines on her laptop, but really just watched the other two on the sly. Many awkward pauses in conversations with Jerry had been saved that day by focusing on something funny Maya said or did. Maya yawned and placed her hand on Jerry's cheek, which made him smile.

It was Fitz's smile. In fact, he looked so much like Fitz, it was a little disconcerting. He was almost as tall as his father, having had a major growth spurt in the past year. Jerry had curly brown hair made lighter from the sun; he wore it longer than his father and it stuck out every which way. Unlike his father, Jerry was fairly skinny, just starting to build muscles from some of the team sports he played. Jerry's face was almost a carbon copy of his dad's and his eyes were as expressive. Just then, the original Fitz came into the living room. He had been catching up on phone calls in his office. He looked a little tense, but his expression relaxed as he sat down next to Olivia and wrapped his arm around Olivia's shoulder. Olivia settled her head on his shoulder without thinking until she caught Jerry's curious expression. Then she leaned forward and shook off Fitz's arm. Fitz frowned at her pulling away.

When Olivia noticed that Maya drifted off to sleep in her brother's arms, she got up to put her down to bed. "Thank you, Jerry," she whispered to him as she picked up her daughter. He smiled and nodded. The dog, who had been sitting near the fireplace mantel jumped up and followed them off to Maya's room to go to bed. After they left, an uncomfortable silence descended on the room. Father and son both spoke at once to fill the silence.

"I think I better go . . ."

"Do you want to . . ." Fitz paused and then asked Jerry to continue.

"I think I better go and study, Dad. I have finals next week."

"Oh, ok. Of course." Fitz couldn't help to keep the disappointment out of his voice. "How are you doing with your grades right now?"

"I'm doing great. I won't be getting any Ds this semester," Jerry said with a wry smile.

Fitz did not think it was funny. He couldn't help but admonish. "Jerry, you are at one of the finest schools in the country. You have every opportunity in this life and I know that you are a very bright young man. Don't waste your potential. You can do better."

"Yes, sir," Jerry answered by rote, eyes guarded. Fitz kicked himself, he told himself he wasn't going to bring up grades unless Jerry did.

"Forget about it," Fitz waved his hand as if trying to erase his words. "I'll let you study and try to shut up about grades this weekend. Do you think you might have time to go ridding tomorrow morning before Teddy gets here? It would just be me and you. The horses could probably use a workout." When he found out that Camp David had stables, they brought some of their horses from the ranch out during his first term. He had tried to get Olivia to ride with him, but she had so far refused. He used to think nothing could intimidate Livvie, but apparently horses could.

Jerry hesitated a moment, and then said, "Sure, Dad, that would be nice." He was quiet for awhile and then stood up, "Well, I'll see you in the morning."

Olivia returned to the living room once she had put Maya down. "Jerry already went to bed?"

"Yeah, he has to study." Fitz motioned for her to sit next to him. She looked back down the hall for a moment and then complied, not pulling away this time when he drew her close to him. They didn't talk about the latest developments with Mellie or the divorce or anything about their personal lives that had dominated the headlines for the past several weeks. Instead, Fitz started going over some domestic policy issues that had been troubling him, including a farm bill that didn't seem like it would see the light of day and would affect millions of underfed people if it didn't pass. Olivia listened to him work out the problems in his head and offered her own thoughts on the matter. He smiled when she gave a brilliant insight on how to get a particular Congressman to change his vote. It felt so good just to bounce ideas off of her again.

He took her chin in his hand and crooked her neck so he could give her an appreciative kiss. He then angled her head so he could delve deeper into her mouth and pulled her in closer. She lost herself in the moment until she felt his hand ridding under her shirt. "Wait, stop." She pulled back and looked down the hall.

"Yeah, ok. Fine," he said, coming to his senses. He stood, and then pulled her up. "Let's go to bed," he urged as he clasped her hand and firmly guided her back to the bedroom. As soon as he closed the door, he gripped Olivia's waist and pressed the length of his body against her back. "Wait, he'll hear," Olivia whispered.

"No, he won't. You can't hear anything from his room." He stated with a confidence he actually didn't exactly feel. He was _fairly_ sure you couldn't hear anything down the hallway. Besides, his son knew about the birds and the bees, and he wasn't about to stop over some misguided sense of modesty. "We'll just be very quiet if that makes you feel better," he murmured. He leaned over her and brushed her hair from her shoulder, grazing her neck with his teeth, tasting her smooth skin. She gasped a little and reached behind the back of his head to run her fingers through his hair. He slid one hand underneath her blouse and cupped her breast, holding her tightly to him and continued to plant warm kisses on her neck. She could feel his bulge growing harder at the small of her back. He then took his other hand and worked his way down inside her pants to find her moist center. His palm rubbed against her clitoris while his fingers hooked inside of her where he moved them slowly in and out. He felt a new wave of wetness and she stifled a moan.

He nudged her forward towards the bed, still stroking her, until her legs hit the edge of the mattress. She reached behind her and deftly unbuckled his belt and undid his button and zipper. He was always amazed by that particular skill of hers. He started to undo her zipper, one hand slick with her essence. She slipped off her blouse and bra while he helped her out of her pants. He quickly discarded the rest of his clothes. He wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her against him, pressing his erection on her bare back. He whispered in her ear, "Bend over."

She complied, spreading out so her breasts and stomach were against the mattress, elbows propping her up a bit. She spread her legs out while her feet were firmly planted on the floor. The sight of her delicate flesh was almost too much for him to bear. He plunged into her awaiting depths and lifted legs just above her knees, holding them apart while he thrust steadily behind her. He had a beautiful view of her perfectly round ass and her smooth back, glistening with sweat.

She was heavily panting, trying not to yell out or groan. As the pressure continued, it was harder not to make noise. Fitz let out some muted moans as he built to his climax. He moved his hands from her legs to her hips as she placed her feet back on the floor. He reached around her with one hand and found the little nub of nerve endings. She nearly screamed and grabbed some of the bedspread and stuffed it in her mouth trying to muffle her reaction. He worked her clit, pulling and rubbing in time with his thrusts until he reached his peak and let go a strangled cry. Olivia found her release shortly after. He bent over her for a bit, his sweaty chest covering her back. He then picked her up and took her to bed, where she rested on top of him.

The next morning, Fitz woke up just before the break of dawn; he tried not to disturb Olivia as he quietly got ready. He then went to Jerry's room and knocked on the door before opening it. "Hey Buddy, it's time to get up." It took a moment for Jerry to stir. He slowly sat up, yawning as he stretched in his bed. He almost looked like the little boy he once was with his hair messed up and a slightly grumpy expression on his face. "I'll be waiting out in the living room once you are ready."

They readied the horses and road out through the back gate of Camp David and into the Catocin National Forest. There was only one secret service agent on detail who could ride a horse, and not very well, which made Fitz shake his head. Two other agents drove all-terrain vehicles, one scouted ahead of the group and the other stayed a respectable distance behind. It felt good to ride again, Fitz hadn't done it in awhile. Jerry had been riding horses since he was very young and was perfectly at ease in the saddle. They followed an old trail which led to a clearing that had some kind of stone structure abandoned to time. They stopped their horses.

"See, this here?" Fitz pointed to the crumbled foundation. "This was the Valley View Hotel. The owner was a Baltimore socialite named Bessie Darling. She was supposedly a real charmer. Everyone loved her, musicians, politicians, lawyers. Her boyfriend was a doctor named Schultz. Well, he started thinking she was seeing someone else and got very jealous. She came out here to get away from him." Fitz and Jerry trotted their horses around the perimeter of old hotel's bones. Fitz continued his story, "On Halloween night, 1933, he took a train up to Thurmont. From there, he threatened someone into driving him here by gunpoint. He forced himself into the hotel, which only had Bessie and her maid there at the time and shot and killed Bessie."

"What happened to the doctor?" Jerry asked, intrigued by the story.

"He tried to kill himself right then, but somehow missed and was put on trial. I think he died in prison." Fitz felt the story needed a dramatic finish, so he embellished a little. "They say their spirits still haunt these grounds and that they re-enact the murder every Halloween."

"I bet it's spooky out here during Halloween." Jerry's eyes grew distant, imagining the possibilities. "This would be a cool place to come to for a séance or something. Matt would totally flip."

Fitz smiled at the suggestion, thinking it would be fun to have some of Jerry's friends up here. "Maybe you guys can come up here for Halloween. I think it falls on a Friday this year."

"That would be cool," Jerry smiled at the idea. The smile soon faded. "But that's the weekend right before Mom's election. You know how Halloween gets during an election year." Fitz knew all too well. It was photo ops, sometimes with people in stupid costumes and down to the wire campaigning. It was doorknockers and pep rallies and equating Halloween and it's scariness to what would happen if your opponent was elected. There were years where the only candy that the kids would get was at campaign offices when the family made last minute get-out-the-vote rounds.

"Yes, of course, you'd want to be with your mother," Fitz conceded, keeping his voice neutral. He urged the horse forward, squeezing him with his calf muscles and headed back to the trail. Fitz started to think of split holidays and vacations and all the things that follow a divorce. "We'll maybe you could invite your friend up sometime this summer. I'm sure a night trip here would be spooky enough."

"Yeah, Dad, about that," Jerry hesitated, seemingly reluctant to broach the subject. "Matt and his family invited me to spend the summer with them on Martha's Vineyard, and I'd like to go if I could."

Fitz tried to keep his disappoint out of his voice and face. "I don't know, Jerry. This is kind of last minute, isn't it?"

"I know and you'd probably have to talk to Secret Service and everything. But I was . . ." Jerry seemed to be working up the courage to speak his mind. "I was really hoping to get away from everything this summer. You know, the campaign, the divorce, the press . . ." Fitz grimaced. The truth hurt, but he really couldn't fault Jerry for wanting to get away from all of the controversy.

"I can understand that." Hopes of his son spending the months getting to know Olivia and his little sister were dashed.

Jerry continued, trying to lessen the blow, "I'll spend the last couple of weeks at the end of the summer with you. I'll spend the first week with Mom after finals."

Fitz wanted to say no, however he knew it was important for Jerry to feel comfortable with everything in his own time. "We'll talk to Secret Service and see if it is feasible. Do Matt's parents know what they are getting into?" He couldn't imagine that he would ever willingly let the constant surveillance and possible media circus into his life just for one of his kids' friends.

"There's always famous people and other children of politicians there at the Vineyard. They are used to it." Fitz thought of the Director of Secret Services and knew he would give her one more headache to deal with this summer.

"Well, if that is what you want, Jerry, then I won't stop you." They started to follow another trail, one that had a few branches fallen in the middle of it. Jerry slowed down a little and adjusted his seat a little and stroked the neck of his horse when she got spooked at an unexpected noise.

They didn't talk for some time before Jerry offered, "I really like Maya. She's a sweet girl, Dad."

Fitz smiled, happy that the two were getting along so well. "I really want you to be a part of her life, Jerry. I want you to get to know her better. I'm just starting to get to know her myself."

Jerry gave him a contemplative look. "But you knew Olivia for awhile," he said, turning a little red in the face. "I mean, I thought maybe it was just something that happened when, uh," he stammered. "When you weren't acting like yourself, after Teddy was born. But, I've seen you with her and I think . . . I think you love her. You've loved her for a long time, haven't you?"

Fitz watched how difficult it was for his son to get that out and wondered when he got so perceptive. He wondered when his son got so brave. "Yes, I love her, and I have for a long time," Fitz admitted with clear eyes. "We didn't mean for it to happen, but it did. We love each other and when the divorce is finalized, we plan to get married."

Jerry's eyes got wide and he shook his head. "Wow. Ok, wow. That's big."

"Jerry, I know that this is sudden . . ."

"No, wait. I'm cool. It's just . . . it's a lot to take in," Jerry said honestly.

"I just want you to know that this doesn't change us, Jerry. That I will always love you no matter what," Fitz said with his voice raw with emotion.

Jerry's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Thanks Dad, me too." They started to loop back to Camp David, taking another trail deep in the forest. After awhile, Jerry spoke up again, "Dad, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"How did Maya, well, how did Maya happen," he asked his face getting red again. "I mean you told me that if I ever decided to, well, you know that I needed to use protection. So, why didn't you," he challenged him, looking directly into his father's eyes.

Now Fitz felt himself getting red. He somehow didn't think their bonding excursion would end up with him getting admonished by his son about getting someone pregnant. He deserved this, he guess. "Well, it was a spur of the moment thing and I wasn't thinking clearly," he said truthfully, his mind flashing back to that electrical closet.

"Didn't you tell me that a spur of a moment decision can lead to a lifetime of consequences?" Jerry raised his eyebrows. He seemed like he was enjoying making his dad squirm a little.

_God, he's killing me_. "Yes, and it did. Look, I love Maya, and I'm glad that she's here. But the circumstances of her birth were not ideal, to say the least. Here I am, one of the most powerful people in the world, and I can't escape the consequences of my actions," he said in earnest. "It may be hypocritical, but this is one time I very much hope you do as I say and not as I do. Wear a condom." In all of the years that he searched for Olivia, it never occurred to him that she left because she was having his child. He just never contemplated the possibility that she wasn't on birth control. After she got back, Olivia told him she was in between doctors and hadn't renewed her prescription when they had that chance encounter where Maya was conceived. When she left the hospital after recovering for dehydration, she made sure she had birth control, so there would be no more surprises.

They rode in silence for awhile before turning to the more mundane topic of Jerry's Lacrosse team. They continued down the path and finally reached the back gate of Camp David. When they got to the stables and started to rub down the horses, a Secret Service Agent approached Fitz and took him aside. "Sir, we just got word about Teddy and his nanny."

The look of concern on the agent's face made Fitz pause. "Don't tell me Mellie refused to put them on the plane." He started to feel the fury building inside of him.

"No, their plane just took off now. But Mrs. Grant is flying into D.C. as well."


	30. Chapter 30: Olivia and Fitz

**A/N This is a long one. Feedback is appreciated!**

Chapter 30: Olivia and Fitz

Fitz headed straight to his office, leaving Jerry to finish with the horses. He passed Olivia and Maya in the hallway. Olivia had just gotten Maya ready. She knew that the boys would be coming back soon and had made arrangements for breakfast to be served outside on the upper terrace. She saw his tight jaw and tension in his eyes, and asked what was wrong. "Mellie," he spat out, before he slammed the door to his office.

Fitz contacted her Secret Service detail and they put her through. "What the hell are you doing, Mellie," he barked into the phone.

"Now Fitz, don't get your back up," she admonished. "I've got a last minute fundraiser tonight and then the talk shows tomorrow." She had the sweet voice she would adopt sometimes. It was as if everything was perfectly normal and they had not just filed for a divorce, as if they weren't about to declare a full out war with each other. "Don't worry; Teddy and Maria are headed up to Camp David as soon as we touch the ground."

"I thought you'd be doing the talk shows by remote since Karen's visiting you." He had to hand it to her, she caught him off guard. "Is Karen with you," he asked, suddenly having a vision of Karen sitting alone in Mellie's new Austin home.

"Yes, of course she's here. She's doing her homework right now," Mellie stated breezily.

Where are you staying tonight?" He asked in a deceptively calm voice.

"Why, the White House, of course." She laughed a little, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Forget it! You don't get to stay there anymore, Mellie. It's not something that we get to timeshare with the divorce." He could feel a knot of anger tightening in his stomach. _Who the hell does she think she is? _

Olivia had moved to the living room, waiting for Fitz to come out of the study. She could hear him yelling all the way down the hall. "_I don't care who you are meeting with about your campaign! You could meet with the Queen of England, for all I care_," she heard Fitz shout, slightly muffled. _Those walls are a lot thinner than I thought they were,_ she thought feeling the blood rush to her face thinking about last night and her failed attempt at being quiet while making love to Fitz. Maya fidgeted in her arms and looked down the hall with wide eyes.

Just then, Jerry entered the lodge. Maya smiled and said, "Hi, Jer." Olivia looked at her daughter, surprised she was already calling him by his name. She had just started calling Fitz, "Dad" at the beginning of the week. Jerry smiled back shyly and returned the hello. _"Because you don't belong there anymore! Just what kind of petty crap are you trying to pull?"_ Each of them stood in silence for a moment listening to half of the argument going on in Fitz's office.

"Hey, Jerry, would you mind taking Maya outside? There's breakfast set up on the upper terrace." She didn't want them to hear anymore of this than necessary.

"Sure, that would be fine," he said in an affectionate manner. Jerry walked over to them and picked up his sister. "Hey, Maya, let's go see what they have for breakfast, ok?" She smiled again and asked, "Berries?"

"Yeah, I like berries too. Let's go see if they have any for us," he said as he adjusted her on his hip. _"You go behind my back and stupidly try to file in Texas, and you really expect me to just roll over now and let you stay in my house?"_ Olivia looked at him, filled with concern.

"Don't worry, Olivia. It's not like this isn't anything I haven't heard before," he said, trying to put her at ease. Hearing the argument didn't seem to faze him much at all. "Despite how, well, how strange this whole thing is, I'm glad they are getting a divorce. It should have happened years ago." He smiled and actually looked relaxed. Olivia didn't reply as he quickly turned around and headed out the door.

She sat down on a couch and waited.

"Karen is with me, you are really going to not let your own daughter stay at her home," Mellie asked incredulously.

He told himself he wouldn't let her get to him, but she still knew the right buttons to push. "Karen can come up to Camp David. Why the hell did you have her fly all the way down to Texas yesterday afternoon just to fly back to D.C. the next morning? You have the motherly instincts of a hamster," he said, having a flash of the pet he had when he was young. She got pregnant and ate all her babies.

Now Mellie's voice grew a bit shrill. "She is spending the weekend with me, Fitz. She wanted to spend the weekend with me. Not with you and your mistress. You want us to stay at some hotel? Fine, the press will eat it up, 'President kicks own daughter out of White House while playing house with his new girlfriend.' How is that going to look, Fitz," she asked pointedly. She was always one-hundred percent conscious of what the media would perceive. He mostly didn't give a care what the press thought at this point, although he didn't want any more damage to be done to Olivia. What he did care about was what his oldest daughter was thinking. He didn't want her to feel abandoned, to feel unmoored in a rough sea. He knew how that felt.

"I want to talk to her. Get her on the phone right now," Fitz commanded.

"Karen, honey, your father wants to talk to you," Mellie said in a cloying voice. He could hear his daughter protest to her mother before she finally picked up the phone. "Hello," she stated flatly.

"Karen, why don't you come up and join us at Camp David? Jerry would love to see you and I would too. We can all go swimming; you know how much fun Teddy has in the pool. Just come," he cajoled, using his soft persuasive voice that usually worked miracles.

"No," his daughter said firmly, not swayed by his charm. "I'm spending the weekend with _my_ Mom. I just want to spend it in my own bed, in my own room before it's not mine anymore. Can you please just let me have that," she asked sincerely.

"Your room's not going anywhere, Karen. Please come up and be with us," pleaded, somehow hoping that if they were in the same space, she could feel all the love he had for her and that would be enough to stop her pain.

"Us? You mean your replacement family," she asked pointedly.

Her words felt like a sucker punch in the gut. "Karen, that's not fair. No one is replacing anybody. I just . . ."

She interrupted, "I'm staying with Mom this weekend. If you don't want me to stay in my home, fine, then we'll find somewhere else to go." She handed the phone back to her mother without waiting for him to answer.

"So, should I get Secret Service to try to find us a place at last minute," she asked, adopting her sweet voice again, already knowing she had won.

"You are an incredible bitch, Mellie," his voice was quiet, but full of hostility. "I want your stuff out of there by the end of the week. Your stuff, not Karen's," he clarified, knowing she'd try to twist it around on him. "If you don't do it, then I will assign someone who will. So fine, stay there tonight, but you are a fool if you think this is over." He hung up abruptly. He could feel his heartbeat racing and the blood rushing to his face. He stared at the phone for a moment and shoved it and everything off of his desk.

Olivia rushed in his office and stopped, taking in the scene. She raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms. "Well, did that help?"

"Yes," he said defiantly for a moment. But looking at her eyes, he couldn't hide the truth. "No." He got up and started picking up the reports, mementos and other office items off the floor, ashamed that he made a mess of things. She walked over and started helping him. He stopped, holding some random paperweight. "You know, she couldn't even give me a weekend without trying to ruin it. I gave her everything she needed to start that campaign. We had a deal, and she doesn't even care anymore. She seems only motivated by my destruction, both personally and professionally." This was her least favorite Fitz: the self-pitying one.

Olivia bent down to pick up a marble pen holder that now had a chip on it. "You always knew that she wouldn't let go of things easily. So, let her have the White House one more weekend. That's all she's ever going to get." Olivia wondered at Mellie's ultimate ambition. Perhaps Mellie meant to get back to that White House on her own merit, but the political strategist in Olivia didn't think that would happen. Mellie always found a way to get tripped up by her own pettiness. Mellie would be Mellie and that would only get her so far. She was pretty sure this would be the First Lady's last night in the White House, unless she was invited to stay there one day by some future Republican president.

Fitz had the faraway look of someone plotting his next move. "If Mellie wants a war, then fine, it's game on. Let's just blast it all out there."

"OK, maybe we will," she said neutrally. "But first, let's see what she says on the Sunday talk shows like we discussed. We'll see how far off the deep end she's gone and then respond accordingly." This was about to get even uglier and the kids would be stuck in the middle of it. "You talked to Karen, how's she doing?"

"She seemed fine, but she still resents the hell out of me." He paused and his voice cracked a little. "I'm not sure she'll ever really talk to me anymore."

His brow crumpled in that way that made her feel a sharp pain in her heart. She approached him and gave him a big hug. "It'll take time, but she's going to come around eventually."

"How do you know?" He asked, wondering of her certainty as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

She held his face in her hands and looked him in the eyes. "Because I know you. You love her and you don't give up on the people you love." She smiled and gave him a gentle kiss. He held her tighter, almost making her lose her breath. He kissed her deeper as he swept his tongue in her mouth. He moved one of his hands to her behind and pulled her up a bit, making her hold on to his shoulders for balance. She reluctantly broke the kiss off and said, "Time for breakfast; your kids are waiting for us." He smiled wistfully thinking, _not all of them._ She took him by the hand and led him outside to his oldest and youngest child.

* * *

"So Maya, I just wanted to let you know, Buckley won't swim with us. Jerry tried to get him to swim last time and he didn't like it. Cuz he's a dog," the little boy explained to the little girl sitting with him on the pool float. Maya seemed fascinated with Teddy, who unlike his sister was a natural gabber. He hadn't really stopped talking since he got there late morning. He brought up stories from the campaign trail, detailed descriptions of his favorite toys, and the latest cartoon he loved. Fitz was holding on to one end the pool float, smiling, but Olivia knew he was still a little tense from this morning. She was holding the other end.

"Hey, most golden retrievers like the water," Jerry called out from the lounge chairs, justifying his actions. He was half-studying for his finals. Olivia wondered if this whole weekend would hurt his grades. _Not my problem_, Olivia reminded herself. For however much she may love them because they were Fitz's kids, ultimately she was not their parent. She knew she had to stay in her own lane. "Hey Dad, why doesn't Buckley like the water," the little boy paused his ramblings long enough to ask his father.

"I don't know, Teddy. I guess each creature is different and sometimes doesn't match the expectations we have of them," Fitz speculated. Olivia never saw him try to talk down or lie to his kids. He seemed to treat each of their questions with respect and to give as honest answer as he could. _He's a good Dad_. She thought about how Maya almost never got the chance to know her father and felt a familiar stab of guilt.

When Teddy and Maria first arrived, Olivia felt concerned that Mellie already poisoned the little boy against them. But he was sweet and curious. There was an awkward moment when Maya and Teddy were playing in the living room and he talked about how they were all related. "You see, your Dad is my Dad too, but your Mom is Olivia. That's what Maria told me. My Mom is Mellie. I didn't know Mom was Mellie for a long time. People really like my Mom. Lots and lots of people say 'Mellie! Mellie! Mellie!' all the time. And they cheer for us when we go see them. My Mom really doesn't like your Mom, but Olivia seems ok. Oh . . . wait." He turned to Maria and looked guilty. "Maria told me not to say that." Maria looked at Fitz and Olivia sheepishly and apologized. Fitz changed the subject and they all moved on.

Liv gave a quick glance at Maria, who sat in the pool chairs near Jerry reading a romance novel. The nanny seemed nice enough. She was probably in her late fifties, plump and short. She didn't start any conversations and kept quite most of the time. Occasionally she would instruct something to Teddy in Spanish. Olivia understood Spanish and didn't hear anything that raised her eyebrows. Still, she felt like there was a spy in their midst. She wasn't quite sure why they needed the nanny here anyway. Fitz seemed more than capable of handling little Teddy on his own, and she and Jerry could help as well. _Maybe next time she can visit relatives in D.C._, she thought.

"Hey, do you two want to play water ball," Olivia asked. "I bet we can keep that ball away from Daddy, huh Teddy?" She grinned at Fitz.

"Oh, you don't know how competitive I am at sports, Livvie. You and your crew are going down," Fitz had a gleam in his eye and guffawed loudly.

"Not if I can help it," Jerry said from deck chairs. He abandoned his studies and jumped in the pool to join them. He picked up Teddy and told him that they were going to be partners, while Olivia held on to Maya. Jerry and Olivia passed the ball back and forth and had the toddlers swim after it. They squealed with delight as Fitz told them he was going to get them. But somehow he never reached them before they grabbed the ball. It became a lesson in swimming disguised as keep away from Dad. They played for quite some time before Teddy arbitrarily declared that they had all won against Dad. The leader of the free world was defeated by toddlers.

After awhile, Jerry reluctantly told them that he really did need to study so he went back inside the lodge to concentrate. They played in the pool for most of the afternoon until the kids were thoroughly wiped out. Later, they all had dinner consisting barbeque, fresh local corn and an assortment of melons. Since Camp David was a Navy Installation, all of the chefs were Navy Mess. They could cook simple Americana food from fried chicken to the best ribs Olivia ever tasted or more sophisticated fare fit for world leaders from all across the globe. The staff had a way of just blending in at Camp David, but Fitz always managed to draw them out, finding common ground with his stint in the Navy. He was relating a funny story about basic training to one of the servers while Olivia just watched.

He seemed relax and charming, so different from the grumpy pants he was this morning. He casually placed his hand on the back of Liv's neck oblivious to the looks it induced in the others. Jerry looked curious, more than anything. Maria on the other hand, couldn't hide her disapproval. Olivia looked the nanny straight in the eye until she turned away. Liv turned back to Fitz and thought; _you are going to get well and truly fucked tonight, Mr. President. _Fitz caught Olivia's wanton stare and stumbled on his words, wondering what brought it on. He picked up the conversation again, but now he also had flashes of Livvie underneath him going through his brain.

After dinner, they took a walk with all of the kids and the dog. Maya and Teddy kept on chasing Buckley ahead of them, while Jerry hung back with Fitz and Olivia, talking about his history class and what the final might be. When they returned to the lodge, Jerry went back to studying while Fitz and Olivia played a game of Chutes and Ladders with the toddlers. Maria was there as well, reading her book on the couch. _She should at least have had her own cabin, _Olivia thought. She would be staying in a room with Teddy. What was normally Teddy's room was occupied by Maya and none of them thought it would be a good idea to have the two giggling toddlers in the same bedroom. After playing some more games, they read to the kids and then put them down for the night. Jerry came out and joined them for a bit in the living room until they were all ready to go to bed.

Fitz was all over Olivia again as soon as he closed the door to their room. She pushed him off of her and told him to wait while she freshened up in the bathroom. She had been waiting to wear some sexy lingerie she had got shopping earlier that week, but there was never enough time to slip it on before they got down to business. She emerged from the bathroom wearing a red lace flyaway babyboll. It tied simply in the front, with her midriff exposed above small delicate panties. Fitz gulped as he took in her perfect body. Her flat stomach and her perky breasts hardly betrayed that she was a mother. Only a few small stretch marks showed that she carried a child once.

He had already gotten in bed and was down to his boxer shorts, which were definitely tented at the moment. She walked slowly over to him. He started to get off the bed and she pushed him back down. She straddled his stomach and held him by his face. She slid her tongue across his lips until he parted them and then she gently nibbled his lower lips. She played with his tongue sucking it and bringing it into her mouth. She gave a series of kisses across his jaw line and down his throat. He sat up, wrapping his arms around her waist and she slid into his lap, feeling his hard erection on her bottom. He kissed one side of her neck while she ran her tongue down the other side of his throat.

She then stopped and pushed him back lying down again. They were each still for a moment. "You are so beautiful, Livvie," he whispered, tracing his hands across her stomach and up her body until he gently pulled the ties of the babydoll apart. He pushed the cover off of her shoulders. _Well, that didn't take long_, Olivia thought with a smile. He gripped her rib cage just under her breasts while she stroked his muscular arms. He thought she was so tiny he could almost wrap his entire hands around her. He then cupped each of her breasts and tenderly massaged them. He circled the sensitive areolas with his thumbs, appreciating the contrast of his rough light skin against her smooth dark flesh.

She then took both of his hands and placed them above his head, intertwining her fingers with his as she plunged the depths of his mouth. She then gave him another light kiss on the mouth before she quickly turned around, straddling his chest and facing in the direction of his toes. She then slowly pulled down his boxers watching his member spring up as it was released from its confines. He caressed her thighs and then moved his hand to her round behind, briefly squeezing each cheek before he traced his hand on her lower spine. She hesitated for a moment before she bent down and nibbled her way along his shaft, taking his skin lightly between her lips and pulling gently. She heard his sharp intake of breath followed by a low moan. She licked him from the base of scrotum to his tip. She took his head in her mouth, while she gently played with balls. She sucked strongly tasting his salty essence. He cried out her name and groaned.

She raised herself slightly from off of his chest in order to get a better angle and then placed her hands on either side of his thighs and started to bob up and down his shaft, varying the motion from excruciatingly slow to a quick pace. He shifted behind her and she suddenly felt his fingers pushing aside her lace panties while his tongue found her slit licking her from the top, pressing against her clit and lingering on her opening. As he worked her core with his tongue and fingers, she was losing her concentration. She then moved away from his mouth and quickly took off her panties before she straddled him again with her knees on either side of his hips, facing his legs. She grabbed one of his legs for balance while holding his shaft as she slowly lowered herself on him. Once he was inside of her, she started to move up and down him very slowly. She lightly caressed his sacks as she rode him.

He mapped out her spine with his hands, and she arched her back into them, which made his shaft hit a particularly satisfying spot. They were both crying out in pleasure, not as conscientious as they were the day before. After awhile, she moved her arms to either side of his legs. He held on tightly to her perfectly round ass while she thrust back and forth on his shaft. They reached the zenith together calling out each other's name. She laid her back on his chest and he rolled them to their sides. He lazily kissed her neck and caressed the length of her arm. They didn't talk for awhile and then she asked hesitantly, "Do you think they heard?"

"Of course they didn't hear anything," he assured her, although in reality he had no clue and nor did he care.

"I feel like Maria's a spy or something." She wouldn't mention Mellie's name, but somehow Liv knew that every detail of this weekend would get back to his soon to be ex-wife.

"She's not a spy, she's _my_ employee. And what is she going to tell anyway? We had sex? I think everyone's been pretty much clued into that for awhile. She's the only thing resembling a mother Teddy has when he's in Texas." He once again wistfully thought that Teddy should have been theirs.

He moved his hand to her flat stomach and rubbed it in a circular motion. They were silent for a time, until Fitz dreamily murmured, "We should have another baby."

"What? Are you serious," Olivia asked with laughter in her voice.

_Did I really say that out loud?_ He gave her another kiss on her neck and pressed her back against him holding her stomach. "Well, yeah. It's not fair that I didn't get to see you pregnant. I'd love to see you knowing that there was a little bit of me growing in you."

Olivia experienced the strongest sense of déjà vu. She could have sworn he said the same thing in a dream she had when she was held hostage. She shook it off and responded, "You don't want to see me pregnant. I was a heifer, had terrible mood swings and threw up all the time like I was that little girl from The Exorcist. I think it might be one and done for me. I'm pushing forty, you're fifty-three and you've already got four kids. Don't you want to stop changing diapers?"

"I don't mind diapers. Besides, I'm probably going to be incredibly bored in a couple of years when I'm out of office."

The image of a little boy with Fitz's smile danced across her mind. If this imaginary child was anything like his brothers, she'd be incredibly lucky. "Now is definitely not the time to be planning babies, Fitz." He sighed, but remained quiet. _Well, at least she didn't flat out say no. _

They fell into a comfortable silence again. He moved his hand from her stomach and cupped her breast. He wondered what they would feel like full of breast milk. He nuzzled her neck and worked a particular spot below her ear, leaving his mark. He turned her chin towards him and kissed her. He could feel himself getting aroused again. Just as they were starting their second round, someone knocked on their door loudly. Olivia gasped in surprise.

"Mr. President, this is Secret Service Agent Frank, there's a situation that has developed that we must talk to you about," the agent didn't hide the urgency in his voice.

"Yeah, just a second," Fitz said throwing on his boxers and going for the door. Olivia drew the covers up to her shoulders and watched.

"What's going on," Fitz asked concerned, they wouldn't have disturbed him unless it was important.

"We just got a call from headquarters, your daughter Karen is being rushed to George Washington hospital."


	31. Chapter 31: Fitz and Olivia

**A/N: Just wanted to thank you all again for reading. The next month is going to be pretty hectic for me, so I probably will only update once during that time. Maybe more, if I'm lucky. I'll have to play it by ear. I hope everyone is enjoying the crazy hiatus. lol **

Chapter 31: Olivia and Fitz

Olivia watched his face the entire flight to the hospital. He was a portrait in anxiety with his brows knotted together, his jaw clinched and lips pressed in a thin line. She reached out her hand and he gripped it tightly in his. Jerry stared out of the window, eyes glistening with unshed tears. They had left the toddlers with Maria at Camp David, although Olivia felt a moment's hesitation, still not entirely trusting the nanny. In the end, Fitz needed her and she knew that the caregiver would do her job, even if she might not like the child's mother.

They didn't have all the details, but it appeared that Karen had taken some kind of drugs and had overdosed. They did not know yet whether it was intentional or accidental. She had seen this story play out too many times to count as a fixer. She felt the same mixture of anger and pity at the poor little rich kid who ended up in the hospital. This time, instead of a paying client, the parent was Fitz. This was _his_ child. This was Maya's sister. She raised his hand up to kiss it. He looked at her and gave her a quick smile of appreciation.

Marine One landed on the roof of the hospital and they were taken immediately to the Intensive Care Unit, most of which was shut down to accommodate security. Secret Service was all over the hospital. The medical staff asked Jerry to go to a private waiting room since he was a minor. Fitz insisted that they all needed to go. Jerry put on a brave face and said, "Dad, it's fine. I'm fine. Just let me know what is happening." They left him with Secret Service, looking every bit the boy he was, and headed towards his sister.

Olivia peered through the window of Karen's room. She looked like she was sleeping, had on an oxygen mask and was hooked up with an IV. Mellie sat next to her bed holding her hand. She was dressed in some kind of ball gown. She must have just come from the fundraiser. Her eyes were red and swollen and her usually perfect makeup was smeared. The doctor greeted them and explained her condition. "She had an allergic reaction to the medication she took and went into anaphylactic shock. She was given an epinephrine injection; we are giving her antihistamines and monitoring her respiratory system. It was _not_ an overdose. It appears that she was experimenting, but the combination of the prescription medication led to anaphylaxis." The doctor attempted to assure the President. "Look, what happened to her was serious, but she was treated quickly and I believe there won't be any long term affects. She will have to be extra cautious about mediation she takes in the future."

"What did she take?"

The doctor looked down at his chart. "Alprazolam, that's anti-anxiety medication, paroxetine, that's a mood lifter and codeine. It's lucky she took so little, there was enough medication in those bottles to kill her, even if she didn't have an allergy to them."

Fitz couldn't hide his bafflement. "Where on earth did she get these pills?" The Doctor glanced at Mellie through the window and then looked down at his chart. All of the blood drained from Fitz's face. "You're kidding," Fitz choked.

"It's not uncommon for teenagers to experiment. And the first place they look is usually the parent's medicine cabinet." The doctor said without judgment. "I think that . . ." Fitz didn't let him finish before he entered the room. His face contoured with rage. Olivia hung back outside the room, not wanting to be a part of the confrontation.

"What the hell happened, Mellie? How did she get _your_ drugs?" He somehow managed to keep his voice low so to not disturb his daughter.

She flashed her blood-shot blue eyes at him before quickly looking down. She held a tissue that was falling apart and used it to wipe her nose. "I don't know." She spoke with a small voice. She crinkled her brow as she tried to puzzle it out. "She must have gotten to my bags when I was preparing with my team for the talk shows tomorrow. I had to go to my publicist's D.C. office and we dropped Karen off at the White House along with the luggage." She looked like she was retracing the steps in her mind. "No, that can't be it. I took some alaprazolam before I left for the fundraiser. Karen watched me get ready before I left. That must be when she stole them."

"Wait, how long did you actually see her today?" He asked, still trying to wrap his head around how his daughter ended up in a hospital.

"Well, I saw her on the plane ride and I saw her when I was getting ready," she answered somewhat defensively.

"So, she comes all the way to see you for the weekend and you don't spend any time with her?" He felt the fury building inside of him, waiting to explode.

She guiltily tried to explain, "Now, Fitz, it wasn't like that. I just . . ."

He didn't want to hear anymore. "You used her to stay at the White House! You used her to get to me! She almost died taking _your_ drugs," he shouted, unable to keep it in any longer. The doctor entered the room and told them that they would have to lower their voices. Karen stirred and briefly opened her eyes before drifting back to sleep. "Get out of here, Mellie. I don't want you in my sight," he said lowly with a cold anger. Mellie started to protest, but he cut her off, raising his voice a little more. "Get out before I have you physically thrown out."

She burst into tears and ran out of the room. When she saw Olivia she stopped and cried, "I hope you are happy!"

Olivia took it in, but didn't rise to the bait. "Your son is in the waiting room. Perhaps you should go and tell him what's going on," she said coolly. Mellie abruptly turned away and headed down the hallway.

Liv hesitated a moment before she entered. She stood by the door as she found Fitz quietly holding his daughter's hand. Karen looked so small lying in the bed. Not the bratty, spoiled fourteen year old Olivia had been building up in her mind, but the little girl she remembered from the campaign trail. She was a bright child who had all of her mother's beauty, but none of her guile. She used to charm the press by telling everyone how awesome her Dad was and meaning it. Fitz looked numb and had a thousand mile stare.

"This is my fault," he proclaimed. She went to him and ran her fingers through his hair. "No, it isn't your fault, Fitz."

He didn't agree. "If Mellie didn't hate me so much she wouldn't have tried to use Karen. Hell, maybe she wouldn't have become a pill-popper." He shook his head, still boggled by the new information about his soon to be ex-wife. "If I had just said, 'screw the re-election' I could have divorced Mellie sooner and I could have focused on my kids. Maybe you would have even come back to me on your own and no one would have taken you and Maya hostage." He thought about Defiance and all the people damaged and killed in order to make his Presidency happen. He thought about how he pushed Olivia away so she travelled a world away to escape his presence. He thought about allowing Mellie to put the kids in boarding school and how that might have hurt them. He paused a moment and then simply stated, "I poison everything I touch." The conviction in his voice broke her heart.

"No you don't, Fitz." She squatted down next to him to look him in the eyes. "You weren't poison to me. You are the best thing that ever happened to me and I wouldn't change it for the world." There were times when she couldn't say that and mean it, but surviving the hostage crisis crystallized exactly what was important in her life. And he and Maya were it. "You face the same problems that a lot of other people have in spite of your job; a marriage that doesn't work out, a child that makes a bad decision, a relationship that started at an inconvenient time. And you still do the best you can."

_God, I am lucky to have her, _he thought even if he couldn't take the absolution she offered. He took her hand and brought it up to his lips to kiss. He knew that he had to face up to his responsibility for what happened. "I hurt her, Livvie. And I'm not sure how to fix this." She knew that at the moment, her words would not help him. So instead of talking, she pulled up a chair next to him and held his hand.

* * *

"Harrison, how the hell did you guys miss the pills?" Olivia found a quiet area without people to make her phone call. Fitz was with his daughter as they transferred her out of the ICU to a private hospital room.

"Yes, we should have caught it when we were digging, but Mellie kept it well hidden," Harrison said, apologetically. "She probably learned a thing or two when we went after Reston during the first campaign. Her personal assistant was her front for the prescriptions."

"This can't get out, Harrison We need to shut this whole thing down. There can't even be a _whisper_ of this."

Harrison hesitated for a moment before asking, "Are you sure about that, Liv? Mellie seems to be willing to play hardball even with everything we had on her before."

There was nothing that Olivia wanted more than to disgrace and humiliate her lover's wife at that time. No, there was one thing she wanted more. She wanted the woman to just _go away._ But Mellie would never really go away; she would always be the mother of Fitz's children. She just needed to be _managed._ "This could hurt the President's kids. _We_ will be the ones to break it, if we need to, no one else." She hesitated a moment before adding, "And I want the evidence we have against her available at a moment's notice, Harrison."

"Considered it handled, Liv," he said just before he hung up. She paced a moment around the hallway, needing a moment to work things out in her head. It wasn't long before Cyrus found her. He had been cracking the whip all around the hospital. If he could prevent a whiff of this surfacing from the hospital, she would put it entirely on his sheer will. She welcomed him with her typical greeting, "What?"

"Yeah, it's good to see you too," he said with both affection and annoyance. He explained what he had already done to control the information leaking from the hospital. The cover would be that Karen had an allergic reaction to food, not drugs. "It's plausible enough, besides the media will be much more excited by the possibility of the President, his lover and wife all being in the same place together. For once, the divorce and affair could be a good thing." Olivia didn't dwell on her part as a distraction to the main story. Instead, she told him what her former associates had planned and what they found out about Mellie.

"Mellie an aficionado of prescription drugs, who knew?" Cyrus shook his head, stunned by the latest revelation. "I kicked out all of Mellie's campaign staff," he said with a smirk. "You should have seen Bill Jepson. He looked like he could blow a gasket. Serves him right after the bullshit he tried to pull in Florida in 2012. He really thinks I wouldn't remember him trying to distance the Governor from the President during the reelection," he scoffed. She didn't respond.

They remained silent for a moment, until Cyrus asked, "You still pissed at me?"

"Yes," she said grudgingly, still not wanting to forgive him, but feeling the inevitable pull to do so. It was the first time Olivia had seen Cyrus since he tried to get her to appease Mellie and apologize. In the past couple of days when she wanted something from him, she'd use Fitz or Harrison to get it.

"Well, good. I'm still pissed at you for going behind my back and giving James delusions of grandeur with that interview." For a moment it looked like he would rant on the subject, but instead, he wrapped her in a hug. She hesitated before she returned the hug and put her head on his shoulder. He gave a short laugh, "We are really through the looking glass now, aren't we?" Things did seem like they were getting crazier, but it had seemed that way for at least the past six years. Just when she thought nothing stranger could happen, something inevitably did.

She broke the hug when she felt herself getting close to tears. "I'm going to check on Fitz and see if Jerry might be able to see his sister since she's out of the ICU." As she was departing, he made another phone call and started barking orders at White House staff. She found Fitz in pretty much the same position he was down in the ICU. Karen had been drifting in and out of sleep, but didn't stay awake long enough to carry a conversation. He looked pretty despondent, so she hugged him again and told him that she would get Jerry up there.

Although Secret Service was all over the hospital, there were two agents specifically guarding the front of the room where Jerry and Mellie were waiting. "Hal, it's nice to see you again," Olivia said pleasantly. "How's Texas?" He had known about her since he first was assigned to the President and she always felt a tacit disapproval from him. She wasn't really surprised that he transferred to Texas with the First Lady. "Fine, ma'am," he said stoically before he opened the door for her.

Jerry sat in the chair next to his mother, her head was on his shoulder, while his arm wrapped around her. For a strange moment, Olivia thought she was seeing Fitz and Mellie. It was a disconcerting image. "Jerry, your sister has moved to a hospital room and your Dad would like you to join him."

Jerry stood up and then glanced at his mother. "I'll see you later, ok, Mom?" Mellie nodded and he left the room, but not before he gave an almost apologetic smile to Olivia.

She silently stood by the door with her arms crossed and observed Mellie. The First Lady was still disheveled, but it looked like she had stopped crying. She sat with her eyes downcast and clutched a disintegrating Kleenex. Liv supposed she should feel some kind of sympathy for the woman, but at the moment, she could only feel anger.

With a clear voice, she addressed the woman who preoccupied her mind more than she ever wanted to admit. "This ends tonight. Your plan to destroy Fitz ends tonight." Mellie quickly looked up and locked gazes with her. Olivia took the tone she had taken numerous times when talking to a reluctant client or an enemy. "You will call off your interviews tomorrow. You will dismiss your case in Texas and the President and your lawyers will work together in California towards an amicable dissolution. No more playing the kids off each other. No more snide 'off the record' comments. No more planting negative stories in the media. This ends tonight."

"So as usual, I have to be the team player. I have to make the sacrifice while he gets to switch wives. I get nothing in return," Mellie stated bitterly.

"You get plenty in return. You get to spare yourself the embarrassment of being exposed as someone who has enough prescription drugs to start your own clinic. You get to remain the squeaky clean Mom in the eyes of the public. You'll be able to call yourself Senator Grant next year."

"I'll have to talk my people and think about it," she hesitated.

"No, there is no 'thinking about it.' It's yes or no. If it's no, it's war. However, don't forget, I'm better at this than you Mellie," Olivia said simply. She thought about how many times she had made the impossible happen in her career. She thought of all the leaders, both in the political world and in the financial who used her name as a curse or a blessing. However, it was this woman who had the power at one point to make her feel dirty and cheap with one word. She remembered the guilt and fear she'd feel occasionally when she dealt with the legal wife of the man she loved, the mother of his children, the woman who claimed him first. Olivia wouldn't let that fear rule her anymore; she had been through enough and had too much at stake to allow it. "For the sake of your kids, the games stop now."

Mellie looked like she was about to go off, but then her face unexpectedly relaxed and she gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod of her head. They fell into an uncomfortable silence. Liv was about to speak, when the First Lady beat her to it. "You know, I never really got kids," she confessed out of the blue. "I had no desire for baby dolls or to babysit. I'd make my money with lemonade stands and by interning in my Dad's office. My least favorite part about campaigning is all the kid lifting and kissing you have to do. That's how I threw my back out the first time carrying Teddy on the re-election trail. My forty-something year old body was feeling every bit of it that day." _Is that when she started taking the pain medication,_ Olivia wondered.

"I thought that I'd feel differently once I had my own. When I had Jerry nothing really changed. I pretended though. I was always a great pretender. Fake it until you make it, you know?" Olivia didn't want to acknowledge how much this hit home for her. She felt completely clueless when Maya first came into her life. It took her awhile to feel like she was actually a mother. What if she never could feel that way? What would that be like?

Mellie continued to unload, almost like she was talking to a priest. "It was necessary to accomplish our goals, to get him to the White House, and I did my job. And it worked. People thought I was a good Mom. My kids didn't even really notice. But I couldn't pretend with Fitz." Her voice turned resentful. "He knew. Fitz was a natural at parenting. It came easy for him, just like everything else. He was fascinated by everything his child was doing, and couldn't understand why his bitch of a wife didn't feel the same way."

"Karen finally changed things for me. Jerry was sweet, but he could also be quiet and frustrating. His sister, well she liked to talk," she recollected with a small smile. "And not like the gibberish of Teddy. When she was six she asked me my advice on how to deal with a girl that was giving her trouble at school. We talked about how to put that girl in her place. It was fun, like we were conspiring together. It was a real honest to God conversation with a person. It felt like I hadn't had one in years. Karen was the one that made me think perhaps I could figure out this parenting thing after all. And now . . ." Mellie lapsed into silence again as Olivia remained stunned by the First Lady's candor.

Olivia felt herself in a strange position of trying to comfort the woman who had some qualities she admired, but who she ultimately disliked. "Karen is going to be ok," she spoke with a conviction she didn't necessarily feel. "You are going to have a fantastic life, Mellie. You will go on to become Senator Grant from the great state of Texas. You are going to find something you care about and people will praise you for your accomplishments. And all of this will be possible because your war with Fitz ends tonight."

"You really love him," Mellie murmured, sounding almost surprised.

"I really love him," Olivia said without hesitation, looking her directly in the eyes.

Mellie slightly nodded her head, as if something had clicked for the first time. "I knew he did, but I wasn't quite sure about you. It took me awhile to catch on, not about the affair, but how deep it went. On the campaign trail, I could brush it off. I had just ended my . . . ah . . . .own indiscretion, so I wouldn't make a big stink about it. Whatever would work to keep him focused and to cross the finish line was fine by me. It became an amusing game to watch you squirm thinking I didn't know," Mellie gave a slight sneer, but the smile soon left her. "When he took you to see the Constitution . . . well, that's when I knew we were in trouble." Olivia felt the blood rushing to her cheeks thinking of that night and the next day when Fitz's wife confronted her.

"Even then, I resolved to make it work. After all, Roosevelt loved his mistress, but who even remembers her? It was Eleanor Roosevelt who went down in the history books. As long as everyone knew their rolls, I could handle it. You wouldn't play your part though," she sounded frustrated. All of her carefully made plans crumbled before her due to something she never anticipated happening, something as simple and as complicated as love. "You wouldn't be his mistress and he wouldn't let you go. I couldn't understand it, I still don't. He's weak. He's nearly ruined everything. For what? Love," she asked contemptuously. "Love can't be worth that."

Maybe Mellie was right, maybe love was his weakness. _Weakness is our strength, _Olivia remembered him once saying. She realized then that this woman, sitting before her, who was in Fitz's life longer than practically anybody, didn't know him at all. Fitz felt everything deeply. When he talked about the people he met on the campaign trail, he spoke with compassion and clarity. He made good decisions because he saw people as human beings, not numbers, not calculations, but as people with all the capacity for weakness and greatness inside of them. It was the same capacity he saw within himself. He was good at his job because he understood that in the end, the only thing that truly mattered in this world was the love people shared with each other. "You don't understand it, because you've never felt it, Mellie," she said with a new clarity. "In the end, love is the only thing worth _anything_," she spoke with a compassion she didn't know she had for the woman who Fitz had married, but did not love. The woman who didn't even know that such a love was even possible. "I hope someday you understand. I truly do."


	32. Chapter 32: Olivia and Fitz

**A/N: Sorry it's been awhile, real life has gotten in the way. **

Chapter 32: Olivia and Fitz

He stood in the doorway to the waiting room, watching Livvie sleep in the chairs. She looked like a little girl, with her legs tucked under herself and her head resting on her elbow. Her neck would be stiff, he thought. He sent for Mellie to see their daughter after his initial anger with her subsided and by the gentle prodding of his son. He was still furious at her and could barely look her in the eye at first. _Just how many times will she use our children as pawns?_ However, she looked completely wrecked and he and he couldn't help but feel sympathy for her. "She's going to be ok, Mellie." She started crying and hugged him out of the blue. He awkwardly patted her on the back before he pried himself away and left the room. They would have to talk eventually, but not at that moment. He went searching for some coffee at one of the nursing stations, even though Secret Service told him they'd fetch it for him, he needed something to do. He made two coffees, one with a little sugar and cream as she liked it. He didn't want to wake her, but she stirred anyway after hearing the door close.

"Hi," he spoke gently.

"Hi," she responded sleepily, sitting up and stretching.

"I brought you some coffee." He sat down in the chair next to her and handed it to her.

"Thanks. How's she doing," she asked with concern.

"OK, I guess," he sighed. "She hasn't woken up and talked yet. The doctors say they'll probably keep her until tomorrow for observation." He felt haggard, like he aged ten years in the span of the night. The coffee tasted bitter and stale, but he gulped it down anyway, hoping to get a little bit of energy. Olivia reached for one of his shoulders with her free hand and lightly massaged it. He closed his eyes for a moment at her touch. It felt good and relieved some of the tiredness that had settled in his bones. He never felt like an old man until that night. When did his daughter turn from the child who played with stuffed animals to a sullen girl who tried drugs seemingly as a form of revenge? He needed things to stop. He needed things to slow down so he could deal with them. He needed to recognize his oldest daughter again. "I want Karen stay with me this summer. I need to keep an eye on her and I don't trust Mellie to do it."

Olivia felt her heart drop a little. She knew she should have expected he would want Karen with him at the White House. It still hurt to think of the reunion between her and Fitz being cut short just when it had only begun. With Karen there, she would probably not see him as much at Camp David. "I understand," she said, trying to act nobly. "Karen needs to be with you right now." She paused for a moment and gathered her courage. "I think it's really important that she spends some quality time with you. Don't worry, Maya and I will be alright. We'll be ok on our own for awhile." She clasped his hand and gave it a squeeze in understanding.

Fitz knotted his brows in confusion. "What do you mean, 'on our own?' You aren't going anywhere. You're staying with me," he stated firmly.

"And how is that going to work," she asked trying to keep her irritation at his lack of practicality out of her voice. "You need to be at the White House. Karen needs to be with you to work things out. And I can't stay at the White House."

With that, Fitz rolled his eyes. All the frustration he felt that night was dancing just under the surface. "This is ridiculous. We're together, Livvie. It doesn't matter where. Camp David. The White House. Timbuktu, for all I care. I will _not_ be apart from you again." Too many things had slipped through his fingers, he was damn sure he wouldn't let Olivia get away under his watch. "I'll leave the whole damn thing if I have to. In fact, I was thinking of doing just that. I'll quit, take you all to the ranch in Santa Barbara and hole up there until we hammered this all out." He wasn't quite sure how to make all the pieces of his life fit together. Perhaps none of them would until the White House was no longer part of the puzzle. Of all the things in his life, it would be the easiest to give up.

She looked at him; he spoke clearly and with conviction. He was serious. She felt a moment's panic. "You are not giving up the White House. Too many people are counting on you. You've got more to accomplish and you can't leave this country with the likes of Sally Langston. Besides, I refuse to be branded all my life a Wallis Simpson who made you give up the crown." She took another sip of her coffee, and then put it down, not able to stand the sour aftertaste any longer.

"Fine, then you and Maya are moving into the White House," he said calmly. She buried her face in her hands, not sure how to get off the marry-go-round of this conversation. She felt like bursting into tears. Truth be told, she thought she'd have more time. More time to stay in the cocoon of Camp David. More time to deal with the kidnapping and what followed. More time for Fitz to get to know Maya away from everything else. More time for her to establish relationships with his kids. She thought she could avoid the realities and exposure of the White House just a little bit longer. Somehow she tricked herself into thinking she was getting Fitz and not the baggage that came with him. This incident with Karen again reminded her exactly of the complications that lied ahead. He gently placed his hand on her neck and rubbed it. "I know this has been hard on you, Liv. And I'm sorry. God knows I'm sorry for everything," his voice was raw with emotion. "I just can't do this alone." She turned to him and saw that he was on the verge of crying too. Her own fears were temporarily forgotten. She could do this. She could be strong for him. They could be strong for each other.

She held his face with both hands. "You are not alone. We'll figure this out. We're in this together, remember?" She gently kissed him, and with that, the floodgates of emotion were released in both of them. She kissed his cheeks and tasted the salty tracks left by tears, she wasn't sure if they were hers or his. He pulled her into his lap, knocking the coffee over by his feet. He held her tightly against him, wanting to feel as close to her as possible. If he wasn't so damn tired, he probably would have tried to make love to her right there. Instead they talked quietly about the problems they faced, trying to figure out solutions. Finally, they just sat in silence until they both drifted to sleep.

* * *

Olivia sat alone in the chairs, flipping through the Sunday morning talk shows. Fitz had gone back up to Karen's room. She wasn't quite sure where Mellie and Jerry were; they were probably getting breakfast in the cafeteria. Her stomach growled in response.

_CLICK _ " . . . Mellie Grant cancelled our interview regarding the upcoming Presidential Divorce . . ." _CLICK _ " . . . a severe allergic reaction to food and she is by her side. Apparently there was a mix up in the White House kitchen." _CLICK _". . . no evidence that this was a deliberate attempt to harm the President's daughter. Sources say that Grant, the First Lady and Olivia Pope are all at George Washington hospital right now."

_CLICK _ ". . . Who is Olivia Pope? We have not heard any comment from the former White House Communications Director until this morning, when an interview published in The DC Times Sunday Magazine by James Novak detailed her harrowing hostage ordeal and rescue . . . ." _CLICK _. . . "We are joined on our panel by Catherine Haster, the ex-wife of former Congressman Raymond Haster, who worked with Ms. Pope when her own husband's sex controversy broke out. . ." _CLICK. _She kept turning the channels between the talk shows to get the gist of what they were talking about that morning.

When she turned the channel to BNC's Press Time, a familiar face filled the screen. It had been years since she saw the young Congressman Jacob Shaw from the Great State of Rhode Island. OPA helped him out when he got caught on tape having sex in his office. That little incident had actually helped propel him into one of the most widely recognized member of the House. He had become a tireless advocate for the most progressive issues and was a frequent guest on news broadcasts and political panels. He was also named D.C.'s most eligible bachelor for the fourth year in a row. "Look, you know I've consistently called out the President and his policies when I don't think they are working for the American people. But this is a time I really think we need to question our priorities. For three weeks, all we have talked about the President's marriage and personal life, when there are important issues like the Farm Bill that is dying in Congress. No one's private life would probably look very good under the microscope. I can speak from personal experience. What I find it particularly disheartening are the attacks being made against Ms. Pope. Frankly, I think many of these are racially motivated." At that point, a few people on the panel scoffed. "Now wait a minute, hear me out . . ." _CLICK _

She turned off the television; she didn't need to see anymore. She could feel Harrison Wright and Associates' fingerprints all over the morning talk shows. She could tell they picked surrogates who could speak to her character and defend her, since she wasn't really out there doing it herself except for the softball print interview she did with James. She felt a warm sense of pride and gratitude that with everything they were juggling, her former associates never forgot their main job: to protect the client, even if that client stubbornly refused to get ahead of the story. Now the divorce papers had been filed, it was finally time to set up the television interview with Kimberly Mitchell. She felt the familiar knot form in her stomach thinking about sitting down in front of a television camera, even if Fitz would be by her side. Karen's situation threw a question mark over everything. She knew that she should call Harrison and start setting up an interview. However, at that particular moment all she wanted to do was hear Maya's voice. She called the nanny at Camp David. Maya was doing fine, her brother Teddy was distracting her from the fact that her mother wasn't there, although she was a little anxious and kept on looking around for her. She told Maria they would be contacting her later to tell her if they would bring the children back to D.C. that day. She closed her eyes, trying to let go of all the tension and to embrace the quiet before the oncoming storm.

* * *

Fitz had spent the last hour sitting by Karen's bedside. She would occasionally open her eyes, but she was half asleep and mumbling incoherently. She finally woke up mid-morning. She was confused and didn't know how or why she was there. As Fitz explained what happened, he could see her dawning comprehension. "Sweetheart, why would you do that to yourself?" The anguish was heavy in his voice and in his face. She broke down in tears and said, "I'm sorry Daddy, I didn't mean it." He embraced her tightly in his arms and murmured that everything would be alright as sobs wracked her body. It took her awhile to calm down.

When she did, he spoke of what he had planned for her. "You are spending the summer with me, Karen, starting now. I've already talked to your Principal and you'll take make up final exams later."

A dour look returned to his daughter's face. "I don't want to stay here. I hate it here."

Fitz's mind was resolute and his expression didn't offer any compromise. "Fine, you can hate it. You can hate Washington. You can hate the White House. You can hate Camp David. You can hate me. You can even hate Olivia." His daughter raised her eyebrows at that. "I'd have a problem if you hated Maya because she's unhateable. But, where I go, you go." He could see that she was about to protest. She actually had the same willful look he'd seen in Mellie's eyes a thousand times. The difference was that there was no calculation or cruelty behind it, just pure emotion. "And it's not because this is punishment, although don't think for a minute that you won't be. It's because I love you. Because you are important to me and that won't ever change. And we're going to take as long you need for you to understand that." This brought on a new round of weeping from Karen. And so he just held her like he did when she was little.


	33. Chapter 33: Fitz and Olivia

**A/N: It's been 84 years . . . lol! I've had a very busy month and a half, but things are starting to look normal again. I'm determined to have this fic done before the Season Premiere, so watch for regular updates. And thanks again for all the great feedback, I truly do appreciate it. **

Chapter 33: Fitz and Olivia

"1.4 million."

Olivia jerked out of her reverie to the sound of Cyrus' voice. She had found her way to the cafeteria to eat breakfast. Secret Service then cleared the room and she felt a tug of guilt over that, but she was too tired to care that much. She really couldn't eat much anyway and found herself staring at a half-eaten muffin until Cyrus came. She blinked at him as he stood in front of her table. The suit that he threw on in the middle of the night looked crumpled and the bags under his eyes looked a little bit darker. "What?"

"You have access to 1.4 million dollars, don't you?" He tapped his foot impatiently, as if she was a student he just caught sleeping in the middle of a lecture.

"Yes, why?" She sat up taller, shaking the sleep out of her body, trying to understand the conversation she just entered.

"Good, we're going to need that to rent Blair House from the State Department," he said almost cheerfully. Blair House was initially a private residence located across the street from the White House that had historic ties to many Presidents dating all the way back to Andrew Jackson. The Department of State purchased the building during World War II to house foreign heads of states and diplomats visiting the Capitol. Winston Churchill was a frequent guest there during the war. Each President-elect and his family would stay there a few days before Inauguration.

"What are you talking about, Cy," she asked confused.

"I'm talking about solving our White House problem." Cyrus sat in the chair across from her and leaned forward looking her straight in the eye. "We both know he's not going to let you out of his sight after this latest incident. We also know that we need to give the American public time to adjust to the divorce before you officially move into the White House. After last week's incident with the reporters, I've been talking to the State Department and the Office of the Chief of Protocol about what it would take to move you across the street and the answer is: 1.4 million dollars for six months."

She narrowed her eyes, trying to determine what angle he was playing. "1.4 million to rent? For a couple more million I could buy a nice place in Maryland."

"True, but does this place have enough protection to house a foreign head of state?" Olivia remained silent. She thought of her house in Yadub, where she did everything in her power to secure the safety of the President's secret daughter and how it only took moments to be proven that it wasn't enough. Spending the past couple of weeks at Camp David began to restore her sense of security. "Also, there are direct passageways from Blair House to the White House, so it's not like you'd really be apart anyway." Olivia did not respond immediately, so Cyrus took a new tactic and pleaded, "Can we at least pretend you two are not shacking up before the divorce is finalized?"

"1.4 million to cover up the fact I'm indeed 'shacking up' with the President? That seems like a lot of effort to avoid the obvious."

Cyrus shrugged, "Well, we've done more for worse."

"What does Fitz say about all of this?" Olivia couldn't imagine that he would be exactly thrilled with the idea, even if it seemed to solve some of their problems.

Cyrus looked down quickly and said, "I thought I'd talk to you first." She gave him a chastising look and he raised his hand to stop her from scolding him. "This isn't about going behind his back. I just wanted to know if you were open to the possibility before he'd automatically shut it down."

She had to admit the idea of being so close and yet still technically separate from the White House appealed to her. If she could ease her way into the public spotlight of the White House life and still be with Fitz, 1.4 million dollars might be worth it. Besides, even though there were many things about Camp David she enjoyed, she missed the bustle of city. While she would probably always get labeled the home wrecker, at least they could pretend she wasn't actually in the home before the divorce was finalized.

"I'm interested," she said cautiously. Cyrus' face lit up like he was a kid on Christmas morning. "I'm interested, but I want to talk to Fitz first, so don't start making any plans until I do." Cyrus' face fell slightly, but the smile soon returned. He knew half the battle was already won. He then went over more of the details of the arrangement as he picked at her half eaten muffin.

After talking to Cyrus, Olivia made her way up towards Karen's room to check on Fitz. As she walked down the hallway, she saw Jerry leaving his sister's room. He looked as worn out as everyone else but greeted her with a tired smile. "She's been up and talking," he said, relief evident in his voice. "She just went back to sleep, but the Doctors say that's normal." Jerry proceeded to tell her of his sister's general condition and mood. "I'm going to stay a few more hours, but then I'm flying back to school."

"You're not going to stay longer? I thought Fitz said that he'd talk to your Principal about making up exams." He must have been exhausted and that was no way to take finals, Olivia thought.

"Yeah, well, exams don't start until Tuesday and I rather I'd just get them over with. I seriously don't think they are going to do much for my grades one way or another," he said with a twinkle in his eye. He seemed resigned to getting mediocre grades.

"And then it's off to Martha's Vineyard, huh?" She couldn't help keeping the wistfulness out of her voice. She enjoyed spending time with Fitz's son and was sorry that Maya wouldn't be spending more time with him that summer.

"No," he said, briefly glancing down before looking Olivia in the eye. "I decided that to spend the summer with Karen and I guess Karen is spending it here." His tone was resolute, but she could tell this wasn't an easy decision for him. She could understand. There was a part of her that just wanted to run away as well. His face then broke into a wry smile, "It should make for some interesting times, shouldn't it? All of us together."

Olivia couldn't help from smiling as well, feeling like she was conspiring with Fitz's son. "I think that's an old Chinese curse, 'May you live in interesting times.'"

Jerry chuckled at that, but then his face grew thoughtful. "You know, this isn't a curse. It's just life. Someday, Karen's going to get that."

She was struck again by the perception he had for such a young man. She reached out and gave him a hug, which he was grateful to receive. "You're a smart boy, Jerry."

With that he rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Yeah, tell that to my teachers." He escaped the hug and told her that he was going to find his Mom again but that he would see her soon.

Fitz walked out of his daughter's hospital room before Olivia reached the door. "Livvie," he called out wearily, but pleased. "I was just going to go looking for you. Did you hear? Karen woke up." When he reached her, he enfolded her in his arms and held her tight before he softly kissed her. For a moment, she lost herself in his embrace, but then heard a doctor's page over the loudspeaker and remembered exactly where she was. She looked around and saw that a nurse down the hallway had stopped and stared at them slack-jawed.

She tried to put a little distance between them, but Fitz held on to her firmly. "Yes, Jerry told me. That's great news," she said, genuinely pleased that Karen seemed to be out of the woods. "He also told me he'll be here this summer." Fitz hadn't wanted to acknowledge how much the idea of Jerry spending the break at Martha's Vineyard pained him, but she knew it did.

Fitz flashed a grin. "Yeah, he's staying. I'm also going to talk to Mellie about having Teddy here too for awhile until she straightens a few things out. I know it's going to be a little awkward with all of us at the White House, but I think we will be good." She didn't feel the same confidence, envisioning a summer of tension and resentment coming from Karen, but there was no point in dwelling in it. She was about to mention Cyrus' idea about Blair House, however seeing Fitz at peace for the first time since they were called to the hospital made her bite her tongue.

"You look tired," he said as he gently traced her brows with his thumbs and then circled her puffy eyelids. She closed her eyes and felt herself relax almost to the point of sleeping. He held her face in both of his hands and lightly brushed his lips against hers before slyly swiping his tongue across her teeth when her lips parted. Her eyes flew open and the harsh light of the hospital greeted her. He smiled at her and rubbed her shoulders. "I'll have Secret Service take you to the White House and maybe you can get a couple of hours sleep before we send for the kids."

She felt her stomach clinch at the thought of being alone in the White House. She thought about Cyrus' plan again, but said nothing. "Everyone could use some sleep. I'd rather stay here with you. Besides, I'll just cause a ruckus with the Press."

Fitz remembered the last time the Press confronted her and the fall-out from it. "I'll have them bring you in the back way to avoid the Press. Don't worry about me; I've been mostly dozing off in the chairs anyway. I just want to stay with Karen for awhile longer. Get some sleep," he ordered. "And I'll see you later on." He folded her in his arms again, lifting her up slightly to give her another lingering kiss.

* * *

Fitz spent several more hours at the hospital and finally had a calm conversation with Mellie in a waiting room. He set aside the anger and coolly made arrangements regarding Teddy. At first, she put up a weak protest over the idea of having Teddy spend some time with him while she took a few weeks off the campaign trail to deal with her pill problem. "It won't look good to be apart from him," she said glumly.

He could feel himself about to lash out again at her overwhelming concern about appearances. But this was nothing new for her. It was one of the reasons why he married her, in all honesty. He knew that she would always do her best to project a flawless family, even if the reality couldn't be further from the truth. How could he hate her for being exactly the person she always was? "Mels, you're killing it in the polls," he said generously. "You probably don't need to lift another finger to win. Just take some time out for yourself. No one will fault you for that." He couldn't help add with resignation, "The Press will just blame me anyway."

The corners of Mellie's mouth lifted slightly before she gently ribbed, "They do like to give you a hard time, don't they?" He actually laughed out loud at the understatement. Mellie looked shocked at first at his outburst, but then chuckled a little. Fitz couldn't help thinking of the craziness of it all; one kid in the hospital, his outwardly perfect wife on drugs, his secret fiancé and their daughter waiting for him at the White House, and here they were discussing the living arrangements of Teddy, the child conceived to save his sinking political career. He started laughing harder and his soon-to-be ex joined him. They were making so much noise, that Hal opened the door to check on them. The stunned look on his face led to a new round of chortling until tears were streaming down their faces.

After the laughter died out, they came to an agreement that Teddy would stay with Fitz for a couple of weeks and then they would discuss more permanent custody arrangements. Fitz felt a glimmer of hope that he and Mellie might be able to find a civil way to deal with each other after all, although she started to snipe at the end of their conversation. Mellie would spend the night at Blair House and after Karen was released the following day, she would fly home to Austin. When Mellie parted ways with Fitz, a look of determination came over her. "The White House hasn't seen the last of me, Fitz. Someday, if you are lucky, I might even invite you there as a guest." Fitz gave a slight smile and a nod, not voicing his belief that she had no chance of ever stepping in his shoes, preferring to leave their exchange on an unexpected good note.

* * *

By the time Fitz made it back to the White House, Teddy and Maya had already been put to bed. Olivia was not in the Master Suite, so Fitz wandered around a bit until he found her in the Sun Room on the upper floor. The room was first designed as a sleeping porch at the beginning of the last century. President Taft and his family would sleep out there during the height of the summer before the wonders of central air conditioning was invented. It was redesigned again during Truman's time where it became an enclosed room with large windows. It had since been used to entertain guests and for family gatherings of the various presidents. The moonlight flooded the room. She sat quietly in the dark, looking out the large glass windows towards the Washington Monument gleaming white under the spotlights. It had dominated the Capitol skyline for a hundred and thirty years and its only concession to modernity was its tiny red lights that flashed a warning to approaching aircrafts. Beyond the Monument, she could see the Potomac River illuminated by the surrounding buildings.

He approached her and she made room for him on the couch. "Great view, huh?" He wrapped his arms around her and she lay back on his chest. "Not bad," she conceded as she intertwined her fingers with his. "I had a great view from my office. It overlooked the White House and you could see the Monument in the distance. It's one of the reasons why I choose it. The heating and A/C were spotty, some of the windows were cracked, but it had a spectacular view," she sighed.

"Do you miss it?" She looked up at him, trying to determine what he was asking. "I don't miss calling the maintenance guy to fix the A/C all the time," she said lightly.

"You know what I mean. Do you miss your old life," he asked seriously as he caressed the side of her cheek with his lips.

"I miss it," she admitted. She felt him tense up. As if she could leave and just go back to her old existence. As if that was even an option now. "But I made my choice awhile ago and I wouldn't change it for the world."

Her choice. Their daughter. He wondered if she would have made the same choice if it was just him. He didn't dare ask. He held up her splayed hand with his. It should have a ring on it. He should just go ahead and get her an engagement ring. The cat was pretty much out of the bag anyway since she was going to live here now. "I was thinking, since I filed the divorce papers, we probably need to set up that interview with Kimberly Mitchell this week. How about Wednesday? At first I thought we'd do it up at Camp David. We still could, but maybe we just meet here in the Blue Room."

"It wouldn't look good visually," she stated automatically. He could see her analyzing all the options in her head. "You just did an interview a little more than six months ago with the First Lady in the Blue Room." Mellie announced her candidacy in that interview and he played the role of a supportive husband. He made sure he downplayed any kind of romantic angle in the interview. The distance between them was noted in the press after it was announced she would move to Texas full time. Still, six months later, it looked bad. "It should be at Camp David. You've never done an interview with her up there."

"Camp David it is," he announced, trusting her judgment. He brushed her hair away from her neck and grazed his teeth right below her ear. She made a little sound of pleasure. He caught some sleep waiting in the hospital chairs although it was still a long day. However, just being around Olivia made him feel revived. She absentmindedly stroked his forearm. "After we check Karen out tomorrow we'll fly up there for a few days until the interview. We could be back here at the White House Thursday morning."

She grew still. If she was going to bring up the idea about Blair House, this was her chance. "Fitz, I talked to Cyrus today at the hospital and he had an interesting take on how we can handle the White House situation until your divorce is finalized." She could feel his body tighten beneath her. He sat up a little bit straighter, but still did not release her from his embrace.

"Is that so," he questioned a little too sharply for her liking.

"Now, wait a minute Fitz, hear me out." She pushed away from him and then turned around to face him, his face bathed in the moonlight. As she explained the proposal, she could his see his lips pressing in a thin line and his eyes hardening.

"So you and Cyrus went behind my back and started making these plans without me? I thought you weren't going to do that anymore, Livvie," he accused harshly.

Now she felt herself getting angry. She stood up and crossed her arms as she looked down on him. "This isn't going behind your back. These are not plans. This is me telling you about an idea."

He was in trouble, and he knew it. But he wouldn't back down. He stood up and faced her, and tried to calm his voice. "You know Cyrus plays us against each other. You should have talked to me first."

"What, am I not supposed to have a conversation anymore unless you are right there," she asked incredulously. "He works for you. If you don't like what he's doing, then fire him! But don't expect me not to talk to him or offer you my own ideas."

"Fine, it's your idea. I don't like it," he stated flatly. "1.4 million dollars is a waste of your money and even if the State Department agrees to it, it's a waste of government resources to have Blair House stand empty when you are really going to be living here." He refused to even contemplate that she would actually be living at Blair House.

She laughed out loud at that. "Are you really trying to play Mr. Fiscal Conservative with me now? It's my money; I can spend it how I like. But that's not the real reason you won't agree, is it," she asked, getting to the heart of the matter.

"No, of course not," he confessed reluctantly. He didn't give a damn about the money and she knew it. "I love you," he said simply. "I'm proud of you and I don't like the idea of pretending you and Maya live somewhere else when you don't. I've spent twenty years living a lie. I don't want to start our lives on another one. I want to live my life honestly."

"Nobody gets to live their lives completely honestly," she yelled out in frustration. "Least of all you and me. If we did, we both would be in jail." Even though the moon was the only light, she could see that she had cut him to the quick. Verna, the election, the thousand secrets she had never told him about her job. The secrets he never told her about his. If there was really justice in this world, neither of them would ever get away with a happy ending. Maybe there was no justice, but the lies could help them find a little peace. He bowed his head, not looking her in the eye.

She approached him and gently cradled his face in her hands. "Hey, look at me," she softly commanded. "I love you for exactly who you are, remember?" He locked gazes with her, but remained silent. "The public doesn't need to know every detail of our life. In six months, I'm going to marry you, Fitz," she stated evenly. They really hadn't talked much about it since he proposed a week ago. Sometimes he wondered if he had just imagined she said yes. "I'm going to marry you, even though the White House scares the crap out of me. Let's make a small concession to the little old ladies in their sewing circles and say we're being all nice and proper until the divorce, ok?"

There was a part of him that wanted to rail against the idea. To point out all the ways he was right. But mostly, he just wanted to end the argument. "Fine," he said shortly. "But I'll pay for half of it." She actually began to protest before he silenced her objections with his mouth. He greedily sucked on her bottom lip as her hands found their way underneath his shirt. He stopped for a moment to remove it in one fluid motion. The need to feel her flesh against his was overpowering. His feverish fingers quickly worked to unbutton her blouse. Finally he abandoned the cause and lifted the shirt over her head not caring that it tore a little. He gave up any hope of unhooking her bra and simply pushed the strap down her shoulders and began to hungrily devour her velvet-smooth breasts, making her gasp and arch her back.

He worked the zipper on her pants and she assisted him. He pushed them down along with her panties and knelt in front of her. He then parted her thighs, breathed in the scent of her and felt the heat coming off her body. He pushed his tongue through and tasted her arousal. She cried out and threw one leg over his shoulder. She clutched his hair and tried to find her balance. He steadied her by holding on to her ass with one hand. He then took two fingers and worked them in conjunction with his tongue. She began to pant heavily. She found her release and he tasted her orgasm. He withdrew his fingers and rested his head against her stomach as she came down from her high.

Her legs shook and she soon found her torso draped over his shoulder for support. But he wasn't done with her yet. He lifted her up and tossed her over his shoulder, her perfectly round bottom high in the air. She laughed as she felt the blood rushing to her head. She felt the cool glass of the window touch her ass as he maneuvered her into the position he wanted. She briefly stood while he shed the rest of his clothes. He then hiked her up the window, as he spread her legs and thrust into her warm, inviting center. She wrapped her legs around his waist and dug her fingers on his shoulders, her fingernails leaving a mark on his muscles. She moaned out his name with each of his powerful thrusts. He glanced outside for a moment and saw all of Capitol before him. It really was a spectacular view.

He turned his attention back to Olivia and gave her a searing kiss, plunging his tongue into her mouth, mirroring the strokes of his manhood. His hands gripped her ass firmly as he continued to pound into her. Her voice hitched with every thrust and she grew louder as his movement became more erratic. He called out her name as he felt himself explode within her and she soon joined him in release. They stood for a moment in the aftermath of their climax before he wrapped her in his arms again and brought her to the couch. As she lay sprawled on top of him, she absently wondered how many tea parties were held here. She chuckled at the thought as Fitz kissed her forehead and traced his hand down her sweaty body.


	34. Chapter 34: Olivia and Fitz

Chapter 34: Olivia and Fitz

He could hear her crying just before the dawn broke. Olivia started to stir, but he told her not to worry, he'd get Maya. He kissed her bare shoulder before he got out of bed and threw on a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. The day before they had all flown up to Camp David after Karen's release to get a few days rest before the interview. He'd given Maria a couple of days off to see her adult kids who lived in D.C. She'd be back to help when they prepared for the interview on Wednesday. He'd hope spending time alone would give everyone a chance to bond with each other. Karen had spent most of the day in her room and when she did make an appearance for meals she remained quiet and avoided eye contact.

"Hey baby girl, what's wrong?" She didn't tell him, but calmed down when he picked her up. She started to trace the letters on his shirt. "N-A-V-Y, that spells Navy. Can you say Navy?"

"Navyyyyyyy."

"That's right, Maya. Your Dad was in the Navy." She looked around the room and began to point at things. He'd pick them up and say the word and she'd repeat them. He started to suspect she was mainly bored and wanted company. As he changed her diaper, he thought they should get a potty training seat. Olivia said Maya had just started to learn in Yadub, but she regressed after the kidnapping. He then put a little sweatshirt and pants on her and took her and the dog outside to watch the sunrise on the upper terrace. As the dawn filled the sky, he started telling her the Greek myth of Icarus and how he flew too close to the sun.

"You always did that."

He turned around and found Karen standing in the doorway, arms crossed. She had Adventure Time pajama bottoms on and a plain white t-shirt. He thought the cartoon pants were supposed to be ironic, but he wasn't sure. She looked a lot like her mother, but Mellie would never have been caught with her hair look like the messy mane of a lion, even if it wasn't yet six in the morning.

He smiled a greeting and asked, "Did what?"

"You'd tell some classic tale we should be learning in high school as some kind of fairy tale when we were kids." She shifted her position and looked down at her feet for a moment.

"Well, they were good stories, weren't they? And you must have impressed your teachers, right?" Karen warily made her way towards the lounge chairs where they were sitting. The dog raised his head and wagged his tail as she approached.

"Is that why you told them to us, to get us to impress our teachers?" The question came out more like an accusation.

"No, I told them to you because they were good stories," he simply stated. Karen sat down on a lounge chair next to them. She crossed her arms against the cool mountain air. "You should put a jacket on," he advised.

"It's summer. I don't need a jacket again until the fall," she said stubbornly, as she pulled her arms tighter against her chest. Maya had grown silent, watching her sister carefully. Karen did the same, her clear eyes examining the little girl plainly for the first time. "When's her birthday?"

"It was last month, May 20th," he said, hardly believing how much had happened since he first found out that Maya existed.

"So she was kidnapped right after her birthday?" She paused, and looked towards the sun, her blue eyes shining in the light. Karen turned back and looked at her sister who had eyes that were similar to her own. "Sounds like a lousy way to spend a birthday."

"Yes, it does," he said quietly as he hugged Maya a little tighter and kissed her on her forehead.

Jealousy flashed briefly across Karen's face before it was muted into thoughtful consideration. "Maybe we should do something about that," she said hesitantly.

A surprised smile came over Fitz's expression, "That's a great idea, Karen. We could throw her a birthday party when Jerry comes back from school." The corners of Karen's mouth lifted slightly and a gentler expression settled on her face. She always loved birthday parties, not only having them, but helping to plan them for others as well. She told him once that she was very upset when their Mom had planned his 50th birthday gala and had told her and Jerry that it was too much hassle for them to come home that week from school. She wondered if things would have played out differently had she been there. He shuddered at the very thought, imagining the bodies of his children after the shooting spree.

Karen lay back in the lounge chair, rubbing her upper arms. "Here, could you hold Maya for a second?" He stood up abruptly and handed Maya over to her.

Karen looked momentarily panicked as she sat up and took the little girl in her arms. "Wait, what? No. Dad, where are you going?"

"Don't worry, I'll be right back," he said half way to the door of the lodge. He grabbed the first lightweight jacket he could find in the hallway and returned outside. He found his daughters regarding each other with curiosity. He draped his jacket over Karen's shoulders.

"You didn't have to do that," Karen grumbled. Fitz shrugged and sat back down in the chair. He didn't immediately take Maya, enjoying the sight of his girls' first interactions. Buckley took advantage of the free space and jumped up into his lap, nudging his hand to be petted. "What kinds of cake do you like, Maya," Karen asked in a gentle voice.

"Luck," the toddler said immediately. Karen knotted her brows in confusion and turned to her father.

"It's some kind of dessert she would eat back in Yadub," he said, remembering a conversation he had with Olivia.

"Well, I guess we'll have to figure something out. You know Maya, those White House chefs are pretty good at making stuff," Karen explained. He smiled at that. It was nice to know that there was at least one thing she appreciated about living at the White House. Karen inspected her little sister's hands, holding them in her own.

"Karen, can you do me a favor? Can you look out after Teddy and Maya for me today? I've got to do some work and it would be nice to know you're helping Olivia watch them." He wanted to get Karen out of her room and he hoped her siblings would be a distraction. He also hoped that maybe she'd warm up more to Olivia.

She narrowed her eyes a bit and hesitated before answering, "Fine." He sat back in his lounge chair and thought, _well, it's a start._

* * *

After Olivia and Teddy woke up and everyone got ready for the day, they all had breakfast on the upper terrace. Olivia noticed that Karen had thawed a little bit from the day before, which was a relief. She knew that Fitz would probably be on the phone a good part of the day because of a small skirmish that happened between Japanese fisherman and Chinese patrol boats yesterday. Tension had been building between the two countries over who owned a string of small, uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. He would be calling the leaders and diplomats of the two nations to help defuse the situation. That meant Olivia would be spending more time alone with the kids than they had planned that day.

As Fitz departed the table he gave a quick kiss to Olivia. He then waved goodbye to everyone and made his way back inside to his office. The table fell into an awkward silence until Teddy chimed in. "Olivia, do strawberries grow on straws?" He had a puzzled look on his face as he held a strawberry in his hand.

"No, they grow on strawberry bushes."

"Then why are they called strawberries," he asked curiously.

"I don't know, Teddy," Olivia answered, never giving the idea any thought.

"They should be called bushberries," Teddy declared. "Or maybe redberries, they already have blueberries and blackberries."

"Well, I guess it would be hard to change the name of something that has already been established for so long," Olivia suggested.

"I bet my Dad could change it," he said with conviction. "Do you know he's the President, Olivia?"

Olivia smiled at that, "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do, Teddy. But he can't change everything." She chuckled at the thought of Fitz issuing a Presidential Proclamation that strawberries would now be known as redberries. Karen remained silent during the exchange, but at least she didn't have a sour expression on her face. Olivia thought they could go swimming in the afternoon, but it was a little too early for that now, so she suggested that they take a hike on the grounds.

They walked down to the Western boarder of the camp and then doubled back to the Skeet Range. There was a long tradition at Camp David of Presidents and their guests shooting clay pigeons for sport at the range. The adjacent field was empty and they started playing fetch with the dog. Karen held back, but Olivia enthusiastically kept on throwing the ball and it was a race between Teddy, Maya and Buckley on who would get the ball first. She laughed as she watched the game devolve into a pile on between the toddlers and the dog.

"Ever been on a gun range before, Olivia," Karen asked. Olivia turned around, surprised by the question. Karen remained mostly silent on their walk, so this seemed out of the blue.

"Yes," Olivia replied. "I never used this range before, but I've been on others."

"Dad never really liked to shoot, but Mom taught me how to here," Karen said, with a slight challenge in her voice.

"That's good. I heard she's pretty good at it," Olivia said diplomatically, feeling uneasy about where the conversation was going. Karen had a disappointed look on her face, like she didn't get the reaction she wanted. Liv watched Teddy and Maya scream at the top of their lungs and chase each other and the dog around in circles.

She turned back to Karen and said bluntly, "Look, Karen, I'm not trying to replace your Mom. Your Mom's your Mom and nothing will ever change that. I just . . ."

Karen interrupted her, "The whole time you were pretending to be nice to me during the campaign you were sleeping with my Dad, weren't you?"

Olivia felt the blood drain from her face. For some reason, she thought Fitz would be here when this inevitable conversation took place. She gained her composure and calmly addressed his daughter, "I wasn't pretending anything, Karen. I was nice to you because I liked you. You were an easy person to like."

"But you were still sleeping with my Dad, right," Karen persisted.

Olivia took a deep sigh and then looked Karen in the eyes. "Your Dad and I started to develop feelings for each other. I'm not going to get into specifics with you. These feelings were not appropriate at the time, and I'm sorry for the pain this has caused you. I love your father, Karen. You are a part of him, and even though you may not want to believe this right now, I love you too."

Karen appeared skeptical and looked like she was about to say something, but then abruptly turned around and yelled, "Teddy, you better watch out, I'm coming to get you!" She took off running after her brother who roared with laughter, and stumbled away from her on his short toddler legs. She swept him off his feet and planted kisses on his face and neck. Maya thought this was extremely funny and began to clap and stagger after them. Olivia felt a sudden panic and a flash of Maya being rejected by Karen crossed her mind. She ran to pick her daughter up before she caught up to her siblings. They all started back to the lodge.

Karen reverted back to mostly silence.

* * *

When they got back to the Presidential lodge, they all went swimming. In the pool, Karen held Maya and demonstrated kindness to her little sister that made Olivia realize her earlier fear was unfounded. _She's not rejecting Maya, she's just rejecting me_. This was actually a relief. She could handle the teenager's sullen anger. What she couldn't handle was any deliberate cruelty directed towards Maya, particularly from her siblings.

Still, dealing with a miserable Karen all summer didn't seem like a lot of fun. Olivia knew Karen would spend time working with Habitat for Humanity, so that would help. Besides cutting off all internet access as punishment for her taking drugs, Fitz told his daughter he wanted her doing some community service for an organization of her choosing. Jerry would also be back soon, so hopefully that would help relieve the tension.

Fitz joined them briefly for a light lunch around the pool. He told them that he should be done sometime in the afternoon and that maybe they could go bowling at the Hickory lounge later on. After he left, they swam for a little while longer and then Olivia put the toddlers down for a nap. Karen quietly retreated to her room once Maya and Teddy were down.

Olivia peeked her head into Fitz's office. "Livvie," he greeted her with enthusiasm, like he didn't just see her just an hour before.

She walked over to where he was sitting at his desk and ran her fingers through his hair. "How's it going?"

He wrapped his arm around her hip and briefly rested his head on her stomach. "It's going fine. It looks like we've quieted the saber-rattling for now. I've got to make a few more phone calls and I'll be finished." He pulled her down into his lap and kissed her. "How's it going for you?"

She couldn't help but sigh, "As well as could be expected, I guess." He intertwined her fingers with his and brought her hand to his lips to kiss.

"She'll come around eventually, Olivia," he said with confidence. A few days ago, she was the one who was telling him that. After Karen broke down in the hospital, he knew that things would eventually be alright. "She just needs some time. Did you know she wants to plan a birthday party for Maya when Jerry gets back?"

"Really," she asked with a smile. "That's great." She had a small birthday for Maya with her household staff last month. At the time, she felt a little melancholy that Fitz wasn't there. "It would be nice to celebrate it with you." She turned his head and gave him a kiss which he deepened.

He looked into her eyes. "We've got a lot of birthdays to celebrate in our future," he said happily. He kissed her again repeatedly and they both started to get carried away before Olivia broke it off.

"Get back to work, Mr. President," she said with affection. "I'll see you soon enough." She left him with a parting kiss with a promise of things to come.

When Fitz had finished with his work, they all walked down to the Hickory Lounge to go bowling. One lane they put bumpers on the gutters so the toddlers had some hope of getting some scores. Teddy was able to handle a small bowling ball by himself and when he somehow knocked down all of his pins, he raised his arms in victory and shouted, "Yessssss!"

Maya needed more help, so Fitz placed his hands over hers and rolled the ball. When they knocked down all the pins but one, she pointed and said, "Daddy, look!"

"Yes, I see, sweetheart," he picked her up and gave her a kiss on the cheek as she continued to point. "Good job! High five?" She smacked her hand on his open palm. Karen was doing her best to appear above it all, but when she got a strike in the lane without the bumpers, she couldn't help but smile.

"Wow, you're good," Olivia said, genuinely impressed.

"Thanks," Karen shyly responded. The real competition was between Karen and her father. Olivia was clearly out of their league when it came to bowling. In the final score, Karen beat Fitz by five points. Liv wondered if Fitz had thrown the game, but somehow she thought that he didn't. They spent the rest of the day together and Karen became more talkative, finding it harder to maintain her distance. After dinner, they watched the latest Pixar cartoon at the small theater located in the Hickory Lodge. Later, Fitz and Olivia put the toddlers down for bed. Teddy was staying in Jerry's bedroom since Maya had the nursery. Next time they were all up here with Jerry, they'd probably have to put him in his own separate cabin.

When Karen said she was going to turn in to read a book, Fitz asked her to watch out for the kids because he and Olivia were going for a walk. Karen gave him a puzzled look, but told him that she would do it. Fitz went into his office to grab something and then they took off for a walk on the lighted path holding each other's hand. When they stopped in front of the nearest cabin to the Presidential lodge, she knotted her brows and turned to him, "What are we doing here?"

It was the cabin she stayed at when they wrote his first State of the Union speech. This was where they had spent many hours working together and passionately making love. He shrugged and opened the door. Candles had been lit all around the cabin. She could see rose petals leading to the bedroom and a bottle of champagne chilling on the sofa table, with two flute glasses. She turned to him asked in confusion, "Fitz! How did you . . .? When did you . . .? Fitz!" She smiled and buried her face in his chest. It was all so embarrassingly romantic. He caught her chin and lifted her head and kissed her gently. He quickly swept her off her feet and she gave a surprised yelp. He took her to the couch and laid her down on it, draping himself over her to steal another kiss before he popped open the bottle and poured the champagne.

She sat up and snuggled next to him. As she took the glass he offered she asked, "What are we celebrating?"

"Well, everything, the fact that you are here, alive." He kissed her and felt her warm breath mingle with his. "That we have a beautiful daughter and she's safe." He nuzzled her neck, scraping her throat with his teeth. "That we are all going to be together this summer." He gave a peck to her perky nose. "That we are doing are first public interview tomorrow." He kissed her mouth again and lingered there. "So, cheers." He held up his glass to hers and they both took a sip. In truth, that's all he could stomach. He didn't much care for champagne and after the problems he had with scotch, he didn't want to acquire a taste. He put down the flute and reached into his jacket pocket. It was a flat, square box.

"Fitz, what did you do," she admonished.

"Just open it," he encouraged. She did and gasped. It was white gold and diamond necklace. It had over a hundred round diamonds, colorless and flawless. It was very simple and elegant in its design, just a straightline with the single row of gems going all the way to the clasp.

"Fitz, you shouldn't have." She shook her head smiling.

"Well, I figured since we decided no rings until the divorce is finalized, then an engagement necklace would have to suffice." He took the necklace out of its case and put it on her delicate neck. "I bid on it anonymously at a Sotheby auction last week."

"Thank you." She turned her neck and kissed him. "It's fantastic." She twisted her whole body towards him and gave him an exploring kiss. She then jumped up and said, "I'm going to see what it looks like." She took off to the bathroom leaving Fitz feeling a bit stranded.

When she emerged, all she had on was the necklace that contrasted with her rich dark skin. She leaned against the doorframe. "Well, what do you think?" She lifted the necklace casually with her index finger. "It looks pretty good on me, doesn't it," she asked with a huge grin on her face.

"White always looks good on you." He quickly got up. She squealed and ran to the bedroom. He caught her and threw her on the bed that was covered in rose petals. He held her hands above her head as he devoured her mouth. Olivia wrapped her legs around his waist, feeling his denim scrape against her inner thigh. As she grinded against his bulge, he moved from her mouth to her throat and outlined the necklace with his tongue. He then worked one of her nipples by pulling, sucking and biting and alternated with the other. He moved his way lower down her body and moved her arms to each of her side, still pinning them down. When he dipped his tongue in her belly button, she arched her back and moaned, feeling an electric spark shoot down to her clitoris.

She tried to move her arms to grab his head, but he firmly kept them in place intertwining her fingers with his. She spread her thighs wide so he could have easy access. He took full advantage of that and tasted her sweet essence. He finally let go of her hands so he could work his arms under her thighs and bring her closer to his mouth. Her bottom lifted from the air as he used his tongue to probe the very center of her being. She grabbed his hair as she held on to any semblance of sanity. Watching the exquisite pleasure cross her face was almost too much for him to bear. He released her, and she groaned in frustration. He took a moment to appreciate the beauty laid out before him as he knelt in front of her. As he slowly took off his shirt, her hand traced his abdomen. Her eyes were heavy with desire. She unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans. She tugged them down along with his underwear and watched his manhood spring up before her. She grabbed it and began rubbing it back and forth in her hands. He moaned, enjoying the firm movements of her delicate fingers. She was about to sit up and take him in her mouth when he stilled her hands with his and stripped completely out of his pants.

She once again moved to taste him, grabbing the base of his cock and enclosing his tip with her warm mouth. She sucked him while she moved her hand up and down his shaft. He shuddered and nearly lost it. He gently stopped her before he lost all control and said, "Livvie, I need to be inside you, right now." And without hesitation, he positioned himself over her body and slammed into her. Fitz kept a strong pace, teasing her with almost his complete withdrawal before plunging into her depths. She squeezed her thighs tightly around his waist as she kept in rhythm with her lover. Liv watched his face in the candlelight and delighted in his passion. Olivia bent his head down to hers and kissed him. Soon their tongues were warring with each other and matched the push and pull of their love making. When they found their release, he collapsed on her, nuzzling her neck and smelling the sweetness of roses, and sweat and sex, and his favorite thing, his Livvie.


	35. Chapter 35: Fitz and Olivia

Chapter 35: Fitz and Olivia

The morning started off with a whirlwind of activities. Fitz had gone to the gym before anyone woke up. He hadn't really kept up with his exercise regime, although he and Liv were getting a different kind of regular workout, he thought with a smirk. The family all had an early breakfast together before Olivia and Fitz left to prepare for the interview. Karen gradually began to talk more. When Fitz asked her what she planned to do that day, she replied, "Don't worry, I'm not on a secret mission to sabotage your interview." Fitz winced because in the back of the mind it did concern him. His reaction provoked a sharp smile from his daughter. "If Maria doesn't need me, I'd just as soon spend the day holed up in my room reading my book."

When Maya wanted another pancake, Karen gave her the one left on her plate and started to cut it up for her while Teddy informed his Dad of his plan to change the name of strawberries. _My family, _Fitz thought as he looked over the table at his kids and Olivia with a deep sense of satisfaction. He could tell Liv was nervous about the interview; she ate silently, and really, only moved her food around her plate. For his part, he had never felt so calm.

While they waited for the nanny to arrive, Fitz and Olivia gave the toddlers a bath. It ended with naked wet babies screaming down the hallway. Maria finally came at the same time as Olivia's hairstylist and took over watching the youngest kids so they could prepare.

Olivia had enlisted the hairdresser she used to go to before she left D.C. to help her get ready for the interview. The woman talked Liv's ear off about how everyone at the salon prayed for her safe return and gave a blow by blow description of everyone's reaction to each event. She pressed Olivia's hair and gave it a sleek, simple style. As she finished, the stylist told her, "Girl, we were worried about you. But look at you now, about to become First Lady." The woman's smile faltered a little and she added, "Well, soon enough I guess." Olivia's stomach knotted, but she gave the woman a tight smile that looked more like a grimace and said nothing.

After she finished up with her hair, she met Fitz in his office where he finished up some business. When he got off the phone, he stood up and gave her a quick kiss. "I like your hair."

"You like it better straight?" Her voice had a little edge to it.

He wasn't quite sure what that was about, but answered, "No, I like it curly too. I like all things Olivia Pope." He held her face in his hands and kissed her again, slowly. She did not respond as she usually would. He moved his hand down her neck and noticed that the muscles were as taut as a bow string. His fingers gently massaged them, trying to relieve the knots. Olivia pulled away abruptly and told him that everyone was waiting for them in Laurel Lodge. Cyrus and some of his staff arrived at Camp David a short time before and took over the lodge, where the interview would take place. The complex was one of the largest buildings at Camp David and where most of the official meetings happened. The Laurel Lodge held conference rooms and a large meeting hall, plus a more intimate den with a fireplace where they would conduct the interview. All of Harrison Wright and Associates checked in shortly after the White House team.

Olivia and Fitz took a golf cart down to Laurel Lodge. Fitz had joked before that Golf Cart One was the only thing he had been allowed to drive since he became President. He kept on glancing at Liv on the ride down. Her jaws were clinched and her face held a bleak continence. He gave her a thigh a reassuring squeeze and she reached out to clasp his hand. She gave him a smile, but it did not reach her eyes. It made him uneasy.

When they entered the Lodge, Olivia was surrounded by her former colleagues and their new associates. Cyrus took Fitz aside and other aides descended down upon him. He tried to make eye contact with Liv before he went into a conference room, but she and Quinn were catching up with each other for the first time since she returned. Fitz noticed the former homeless guy, Huck and the red head woman had also come. Cyrus turned Fitz's focus over to some issues that might come up relating to Middle Eastern foreign policy in the wake of the hostage crisis.

After awhile Olivia and HWA joined everyone in the conference room. Olivia sat down next to Fitz. He reached for her hand and it felt cold and clammy. For the most part Fitz just sat back and let everyone talk, already knowing what he and Liv planned to say due to lengthy private discussions they had about the interview.

Jeanine and Cyrus debated on whether Fitz and Olivia should admit they were having an affair on the campaign trail or whether it started closer to when Olivia got pregnant with Maya. Harrison interjected that in his experience with similar cases and the most important thing was the tone and that the details would follow. He looked to Olivia to back him up, but she didn't really say much, other than generally agree. More people started talking and debating on what the President and Ms. Pope should say. Listening to everyone made Olivia start to question what her and Fitz had already planned. _Too many cooks in the kitchen_, she thought.

Fitz kept on glancing to Olivia, expecting her take over and lay out what they had already discussed, but she remained quiet. Finally he spoke up, thanking everyone for their input and explaining the larger points they would cover. When he turned to Liv, she said that was right, but didn't add much more. Something was definitely off. He needed some time to get her alone and talk to her.

When the roundtable began to wrap up, an aid came in and said that Pauline was here for Olivia's wardrobe selection. Before Fitz could pull Liv aside, she got up and said she had to go. He stopped her and held her upper arm. "Livvie, are you ok?"

"I'm fine, Fitz," she said insisted, pulling away from him. "I've got to go. I'll see you later." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before she took off.

The BNC news truck arrived and they began setting up for the interview. A producer of the Kimberly Mitchell Report named Peter was in the corner haggling with Lauren Tsang, the communications expert for Harrison Wright and Associates. They were arguing about getting pictures of the kids. ". . . and I'm sure you can understand the desire of the President and Ms. Pope to protect the privacy of their children. One still shot of Maya and Ms. Pope, taken by the White House photographer. No video. No Karen or Teddy."

"Lauren, you have you heard of the concept called television, right? Moving pictures, you know? We need video! And people want to see how Karen is doing. You're being unreasonable," Peter complained.

"No Karen. No Teddy. No video. One still shot of Maya and Ms. Pope. Take it or leave it," Lauren stated firmly.

"We need the President in the shot too," the producer insisted.

Lauren held out her hand, "Deal."

"You were going to give us the President anyway, weren't you," Peter realized as he shook her hand. Lauren smiled sweetly at him as an answer.

After witnessing that conversation, Cyrus turned to Harrison and Fitz who were going over some talking points. "God, she's good," he whispered excitedly. "Let's get her for the White House."

Harrison looked at him incredulously. "You are not stealing my employee. Besides, the White House can't afford her," he said smugly, "I know what the Communications staff makes." Cyrus was about to go on about the virtues of working for the White House when an aid approached them nervously.

"Ah, is Ms. Pope around? Pauline, the wardrobe stylist is looking for her. Also, the makeup artist is as well."

Fitz felt the pit of his stomach fall. "What do you mean? She took off to select what she was going to wear awhile ago."

"She did," assured the aid. "Then she took off after Pauline was going to make a few alterations."

"Where did she go?" Fitz tried not to panic. Fitz spotted Huck quietly leave the lodge out of the corner of his eye.

We don't know," the aid miserably admitted.

* * *

He found her in a cabin that hadn't been used in awhile. She was sitting on an ugly plaid couch with her head in her hands. When he opened the door, she looked up, not surprised to find him there. "I'm not running away," she said with a weak smile.

"OK," he said without judgment as he walked over to where she sat.

"I'm just taking a few minutes," she said, not sure who she was trying to convince.

"OK," he repeated, as he plopped on the couch next to her.

"How'd you find me anyway?"

"I'm good at my job," Huck shrugged. They remained silent for a moment before Huck spoke again, "Secret Service will probably be here soon. They get nervous when the President's girl disappears."

_The President's girl_, she thought. _The President's mistress. The President's side piece. The President's baby mama. The President's First Lady?_ Everyone had an idea of who she was and who she was supposed to be. She wanted none of it. All she wanted was Fitz. "I'm not sure I can do this," she said hesitantly. "I thought I knew what I was going to say, but now it just sounds all wrong in my head. I was never supposed to have this kind of life. I'm supposed to be in the shadows, not the spotlight. My job . . . our job was to keep private information private and spin the story how we wanted it, and now I'm supposed to just spill my guts out to these people," she asked, offended by the very concept. "I'm supposed to be the hidden weapon you use to gut your enemies. I'm supposed to be the secret, not the story."

Huck took awhile to respond, "I don't know if our lives are supposed to be anything other than what they are. A secret or a story, your life could be both or neither, but there is no fate to it. Life is just what you make of it." He fell back into silence. She knew the secrets he kept were probably deeper than her own and he carried the scars to prove it. She looked at him closely; she didn't see any new scars, at least not physical ones. He looked like the same old Huck, haunted and dancing on the edge, but always there for her. And she left him alone. She left everyone. And even when she returned, she wasn't there for him.

"I'm sorry I haven't seen you much since I've been back, Huck."

He scoffed at that and shook his head, "I think you've been a little busy. You're living your life."

"But we were supposed to have each other's backs. That was the deal." She thought about how they first met; with him sitting in that subway station and reeking to high heaven, but each recognizing a kindred spirit within each other. She thought about the last time she saw him and how he told her not to worry about him, just to take care of her baby. "You know, I thought about asking you to come with me, when I left."

He grimly smiled and said, "Well, then I guess I would have been dead too, like your other bodyguards. So thanks for not doing that." She wasn't quite sure about that, she could imagine a different scenario playing out with them not being taken at all if Huck was there.

"Have you been ok?"

"I've been ok, Liv."

"No, I mean . . . are you happy, Huck?"

He paused for awhile and then slowly articulated his thoughts, "I think there was a time in my life where I was happy. Like, ecstatically happy. It's a real faint memory now. I remember snatches of it, of a life, but maybe it was just a dream. I don't know." He shook his head in confusion, trying to remove the cobwebs in his mind. He gave up the pursuit and his expression softened slightly. "I'm here. I'm alive. I'm walking and talking and on most days I take a shower. I've got a steady job and a roof over my head, and people I will go through thick and thin. That's more than a lot of people. I even got a woman," he said slyly.

"Really? Wow," she remarked, probably with more shock than she should have. An image of Quinn flashed through her mind. _I wonder if . . ._

"But if I had a chance to find that happiness again, I'd grab it with both hands, Liv. I'd give it all up for that chance. Not anyone or anything could stop me. And I'd never look back." He stated calmly, with a determination born of someone who knew what it was like to lose everything. "You're happy, Liv. I saw it the last time I was here. I saw it the way you look at him. And you and that baby . . ." His voice trailed off and he was a million miles away again. He shook his head and repeated, "You're happy and you already know what you are going to do, Olivia." He stood up and held his hand out to her. "So, now, you just need to do it."

She grabbed his hand and he pulled her up. "I don't think the public will ever really buy my story, Huck, and I don't want to give them every part of me."

"Then don't. Truth. Lies. It doesn't matter. Just tell them the story you want them to hear. And if they don't like it . . . well, fuck 'em. They don't really matter anyway."

* * *

Fitz had raced back to their cabin with the Secret Service on his heels. He thought the first place she'd go was to Maya, but she wasn't there. The kids were content playing in the living room with Maria supervising. He popped his head into Karen's room on the off chance she had seen her. "No, but don't you have an interview soon," she asked with raised eyebrows. She didn't get a response.

The first thought Fitz had when Secret Service informed him they found her strolling back to the Laurel Lodge with Huck was that he would kill her for worrying him like that. He then began to dread that maybe she changed her mind about everything and she would soon leave with Maya. Relief was the only thing he felt when he met her in front of the lodge and saw her apologetic smile. "I didn't mean to make you worry," she said asking for forgiveness with her eyes as she embraced him. Fitz looked briefly at Huck, and felt a little stab of jealously that he found her first. Fitz gave a little nod of thank you to him and turned to Olivia.

"No problem," he said breezily. "If you didn't show up, I was just going to announce my resignation and become a house Dad while you figured out what you wanted to do to support us." She laughed at that. "Oh, you think I'm joking, do you? Wait a couple of years," he teased as he cupped her face and gave her a warm kiss. He could tell she was still a little tense. As they walked back into the lodge, Cyrus bombarded them with talking points for their interview.

"We've got it covered, Cy. I need to talk to Olivia alone."

"But sir, we don't have that much time until we tape the interview and . . ."

"I said we've got it covered," Fitz stated firmly before he took Olivia to one of the back offices of the complex. She leaned against a desk while he closed and locked the door. "So, what's up Olivia? Are you having second thoughts," he asked trying to be open and understanding, but in reality, nervous as hell.

"No. Not with you, Fitz," she said with clear eyes. "I just had a moment to gather myself, but I'm fine. . . really," she emphasized when he looked skeptical.

"Are you sure? We could call it off, make some kind of excuse." He enfolded her in his arms and buried his face on top of her head. He stroked her upper shoulder and then squeezed her tight. He pulled back a little and held her chin in his hand and met her eyes. "And I was serious about resigning. If that's what it takes to make this work, I'll do it."

"Absolutely not," she dismissed the notion out of hand. "I'll have a televised weekly confessional show with Oprah before I'd be ok with you resigning." She ran her fingers through his hair on the back of his head and bent his head so she could kiss him.

He ran his fingers down her neck and felt her stiffness and tension. "Relax, Olivia," he ordered as he massaged her shoulders and fixed his eyes on hers. "It's going to be ok, we've got this," he assured. He traced his hands down her spine and settled them on her hips. He then kissed her softly and parted her lips with his tongue.

He stopped and examined her nervous face. An idea came to him. He dropped to his knees and started to work at the buttons on her pants. She stopped him her hands, her eyes wide with surprise, "Wait, what are you doing, Fitz?"

He gave her a wicked smile, "Distracting you."

"This building is full of people and there's no time, Fitz." She shook her head, amazed by his audacity. She should have known better though, this wasn't the first time they snuck away from a crowd. She thought of all the strange places they wound up on the campaign trail.

He bent her head down and gave her a kiss on the mouth, "There's always time." He worked on her pants again and this time, she just let go and leaned back. A little over twenty minutes later, they emerged from the office after refreshing a little in the office bathroom. When Cyrus saw them emerge, he did a double take on both of them and his jaw dropped a little. Fitz reached into his pocket and pulled out a little tin box of altoids.

"Mint?" He offered Cyrus, who just shook his head no.

Olivia finished getting ready; her hairstylist had to retouch her hair, admonishing her on messing it up. She dressed in a sleeveless white sheath dress with a modest collar that framed her diamond necklace. She had to admit, she did feel a lot more relaxed after Fitz's . . . distraction. Still, she could feel her nerves starting to fray again. When Fitz held out his hand to walk them to their seats, she grabbed it like it was a lifeline. She could feel her heartbeat in her ears. She wasn't sure how her feet actually moved her to the seat because she couldn't feel them. Her breath quickened and she briefly looked at the door as they put a mic on her and someone quickly touched up her face. Olivia observed Kimberly Mitchells. At one point, the political fixer might even have considered the interviewer a friend. She had given the woman many leads on stories throughout the years. Now Kimberly had the demeanor of a harden journalist, ready to grill her subjects.

Olivia's heart raced even faster and she glanced at the door again.

_Flight or fight?_

Fitz squeezed her hand and brought it to his lips to kiss. Olivia turned to him and smiled and felt a peace wash over her. She pivoted back to Kimberly, who had narrowed her eyes at the gesture.

Olivia held her gaze, steady and sure.

_Fight it is. _


	36. Chapter 36: Olivia and Fitz

Chapter 36: Olivia and Fitz

Fitz watched her carefully, hardly paying attention to Kimberly Mitchell's introduction. For a moment before the cameras rolled, he thought she would run. She was as skittish as a new foal, so he took her hand and kissed it to reassure her that whatever happened, he would be there. And just like that, she put on her game face and was Olivia Pope once again.

"Ms. Pope, first of all, I think I can speak for most Americans to say that we are grateful for you and your daughter's safe return to the United States," Kimberly offered smoothly before she pounced. Olivia returned the niceties and thanked everyone for their prayers and support. Kimberly rattled off the biographical laundry list of Olivia; graduated top in her law school class at Georgetown, hired at the top firm in D.C., work on numerous political campaigns including Grant's first run followed by a short stint a White House Communications Director. "You became one of the most respected political operatives inside the beltway and had your own crisis management firm before you left the country. You handled the fallout of scandals for many well-known people, what does it feel like to be one of the biggest political controversies in American history?"

Olivia wasn't surprised by the question or the hardened tone of Kimberly, she responded without hesitation. "First of all, I wouldn't characterize my life as a controversy. It is simply my life. If you are asking me how it feels to have every aspect of me scrutinized by the media, I can honestly tell you that it doesn't feel very good."

"Olivia did nothing wrong here." Fitz tried not to sound too defensive although there was a part of him that already wanted to rip Kimberly's throat out. "She was the one kidnapped and nearly starved to death. She was used in order to try to provoke a war. Olivia was simply trying to live her life and these events happened to her."

The reporter focused like a laser on the President and leaned in. "But the reason she was kidnapped was to get to you, right," she asked sharply. "You had an extramarital affair that resulted in a child and led to an international crisis. How do you answer for that?"

Fitz took a moment to respond. "There are evil people in this world that will try to use others for their own gains," he replied calmly, thinking of Hollis Doyle and the fact that the general public would never know of all the damage he left behind. "Yes, they tried to use her to get to me, but they ultimately could not. No Americans died in the rescue of Olivia or Maya. And now, we also are beginning to establish closer ties with the United Arabic Provinces and are taking concrete steps in providing stability in the region and with the nation of Omarain."

Kimberly quickly pivoted back to Olivia, "Ms. Pope, what were you doing living in the United Arabic Provinces in the first place?

Olivia had anticipated this question and dreaded how much she needed to reveal. Fitz unconsciously reached for her hand again. "When I found out that I was pregnant I went through a lot soul searching whether to keep it or not," she said haltingly. "I was happy with my life and with my career and I knew everything would change if I decided to keep this baby." She briefly glanced at Fitz and her eyes threatened to betray her with their unshed tears. "I felt she was a part of me and a part of him and I just couldn't give that up. I knew that it would not only affect my life, but Fitz's as well and that it might harm his Presidency. So, right or wrong, I decided to not tell him I was pregnant and left the country so he couldn't find out."

Kimberly did not immediately say anything. She studied her notes and cleared her throat and then turned her gaze to Fitz. "Mr. President, some people have accused you of knowing where Ms. Pope was the whole time, that you in fact supported her in Yadub."

Fitz wondered when journalist started pulling facts out of thin air. "That's not true at all," he stated evenly, once again not rising to the bait. "I wish I did know where she was because I think we would have been able to keep her safe."

Olivia interjected and could not hold back a little of the righteous anger she felt. "I have supported myself since I turned eighteen. I've never asked a dime from Fitz or anyone. I've owned my business and have earned my own money and it's insulting to suggest I was some kind of kept woman," she remarked, her voice edged with irritation. She softened her expression when Fitz squeezed her hand gently once again. "I thought I took a lot of precautions to remain private and to protect myself and Maya. Unfortunately, those precautions were not enough," her voice broke just a little. Kimberly eased up a bit and then asked if Olivia would describe the kidnapping and what followed. Olivia explained what happened in as much detail as she could remember, determined not to let her emotions get the better of her.

"Mr. President, can you describe Maya when you first met her," the reporter asked in a gentler voice. Fitz could imagine that when they edited this segment she'd have the soft glow of mood lighting behind her.

"Well, she was traumatized. I was traumatized," he answered honestly. "I didn't know if we'd ever see her mother again. So, it was hard at first. When we got Olivia back, Maya just started to blossom and it's been really amazing getting to know her," he declared, practically beaming. "She's beautiful and smart and charming and I think I'm blessed to have her in my life." He glanced at Olivia and couldn't help smiling even wider.

Kimberly appeared a little taken aback by the President's clear display of public affection. She once again addressed Olivia, "We've talked to people who have worked with you in Washington and among the words used to describe you were 'unflappable' and 'professional.' I think it came as a great shock when the hostage crisis unfolded that you did indeed appear to have an affair with the President. So, tell us how did this happen?"

"I won't get into the specific details of how this relationship started," Olivia stated firmly, determined to keep at least a few things private. "I will say that as we spent more time together, the closer we got. Everything would just click when we worked together and I think we just found a lot of happiness in each other's company," she said truthfully, not really caring how people would take that. "We were the last people looking for a relationship. He was married and having an affair would jeopardize everything he worked so hard for in his public career. I loved my work and I didn't want to ruin my career either."

"So why did you do it, why did you have an affair?" The journalist's question held a tone of dismay, like each of them had personally let her down.

"We fell in love with each other," Fitz declared simply, glancing at Olivia for her tacit approval and got it when she squeezed his hand. "It was inconvenient, and it wasn't fair to a lot of people, most of all to my family. It was unexpected and it wasn't something we really wanted at the time. But it happened and I wouldn't change that, even if I could." He didn't know if he had ever been this honest answering any reporter's question. It felt good to see that shocked look on Kimberly.

"Don't you think you used your position of power to unduly influence Ms. Pope," the reporter admonished.

The condescension in Kimberly's question infuriated Olivia. She decided to answer, even though the question wasn't directed to her. "Now wait a minute. I wasn't some poor damsel in distress," she managed to keep her voice even, despite her anger. "I am a grown woman with many life experiences who made her own decisions when it came to a relationship with Fitz, for better and for worse."

The reporter and Olivia went back and forth about workplace dynamics and relationships for awhile until Kimberly decided to abruptly change the subject. "Olivia, have you spoken to Ms. Grant since you've been back?"

"Yes, I had a private conversation with Mellie and I won't go into details of it," Olivia responded coolly, not giving the reporter any ammunition. She then generously added, "I will say that I admire Mellie Grant's ambition and intelligence and I think she will make a very good Senator for the state of Texas." The reporter tried to pry into details of the conversation and Olivia's previous relationship with Mellie, but Olivia stubbornly refused to go in the direction that Kimberly wanted.

Frustrated, Kimberly turned back to the President and asked, "And what about your family, how have your other children been taking all of this? Karen being hospitalized recently must have been difficult on top of everything else."

"Karen is doing much better, she is recuperating nicely and her mother and I would like to again thank everyone who has sent her well-wishes. We will be closely monitoring what she eats in order to prevent other allergic reactions from occurring." Fitz easily lied about what landed Karen in the hospital. He would take that secret with him to the grave if he could. He then began to address the other part of her question honestly. "Teddy is young enough that he seems to just be rolling with it, but it's been difficult for my other children. My oldest children knew that their mother and I would be separating for awhile now, but the way they found out about Olivia and Maya surprised and hurt them. We are working through that and I would ask for the public to respect my children's privacy while going through these challenging times."

For a moment, Kimberly said nothing and then she went in for the kill. "For many years you've fought rumors that your marriage was troubled. You sat in front of me with your wife, gushing over her pregnancy. You've gone out of your way to say you had a solid, strong marriage. So, were you lying the whole time?"

Fitz had to admit that her question cut to the bone because it was true. He had spent the better part of his adult life lying about the state of his marriage. And the woman sitting next to him, the love of his life, helped give him the proper tools to lie better about his marriage to Mellie. He deflected the question as best he could. "Look, Mellie is the mother of my children, so she will always have that place in my heart. Each marriage is unique and you can't really know what it is about from the outside looking in. And I don't know that you should have to," he replied, glossing over the question and refocusing the conversation on what he really wanted to talk about.

"The American political system has put the traditional family on a pedestal and people expect their politicians to look like that ideal. But the reality is that most Americans do not fit that traditional image." He spoke honestly about a subject he thought about for years and yet never said anything about, too afraid to upset his base. It felt freeing knowing that he would not have to face re-election again. "You've got single parents and blended families and I know my friends in my party bemoan the breakdown of the traditional family, but I don't agree with that. Families come in a lot of different shapes, sizes and colors and I think that makes us a stronger country. I'm sorry I don't fit the fairy tale anymore, but maybe it's time to reexamine our expectations."

Kimberly shook her head in frustration. "But I think fidelity matters to people. If you can cheat on your wife, you can lie to the American People."

Olivia couldn't resist anymore and had to jump in again. "I just want to say, I don't think that argument is valid. Unfortunately, people cheat on their spouses. It happens. It doesn't make that person evil or negates all the good they've done in their professional or personal lives. I think he makes an excellent President and the nation would be worse with him not here." Olivia spoke with passion and maybe she was biased, but she still believed in the Presidency of Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III.

"He has been able to reach across the aisle and accomplish a great deal. Within the first two years of his Presidency he was able to get the Dream Act passed that helped undocumented immigrant children find a legal path to citizenship and contribute to this great nation. During his first 100 days he was able to pass an act that has helped make college affordable and accessible to students all across America." Olivia proceeded to rattle off a list of positive accomplishments she witnessed his administration do, even when she was thousands of miles away, living in another country. "He's dealt with several international crises all without getting us into any more wars. He's made the government run smarter and more efficient. He's a bi-partisan leader who doesn't let party politics get in the way of improving the lives of Americans. His personal life has not affected his ability to be a great President."

Fitz watched Olivia go on about the virtues of his administration with kind of an embarrassed awe. He had no idea that she appreciated what he did as President so much. Most of the time he thought Olivia loved him in spite of not thinking much of his Presidency. Fitz finally chimed in, "I think I've got a lot to offer this country, regardless of my marital status. And I hope that the American people will continue to support me in leading this great nation. We've got a lot left to accomplish in the two and a half years remaining of my Presidency. And I think together we can do this."

Kimberly turned back to Olivia. "I've seen you go up against the White House several times, working with the opposition party or on behalf of clients. Do you see yourself taking an active position in this administration?"

"My days as a crisis manager are over, both behind the scenes and in front of them," Olivia spoke with conviction. Fitz frankly knew that this was a lie, even if she believed it. He would definitely be asking for her input behind the scenes. She was his secret weapon and he wouldn't let her go to waste. "I left Washington to raise my child and I'm not getting back into politics."

Fitz couldn't resist adding, "Olivia was always fiercely independent and made her own decisions and I respected that, even when we were not on the same side. She's probably the smartest person I know. I was always impressed by how extremely thoughtful and resourceful she was when we worked together and when we worked in opposition. She's warm and funny and an altogether amazing person. And I'm very glad that she's been returned safely to us." Fitz turned to Olivia and smiled. He could not contain the love and respect he felt for Olivia Pope, even if he tried.

Kimberly took the exchange in and waited a beat, "So, what happens next, are you moving into the White House?"

Olivia gave the answer that they had rehearsed, "Maya and I are actually going to be moving to Blair House for the time being. It's a secured location and close to her father and siblings." Of course, this was simply a front for the public. She suspected that she would actually spend very little time at Blair House. She looked at Fitz and felt a certainty that she would never really be apart from him again. "We are all going to take it one step at a time and see where we go from there. In the meantime, I just want to say thank you to all the people who kept us in your prayers and the service men and women who helped bring us safely home." And with that, they concluded their first interview together. She turned to him again and smiled with relief.

* * *

Olivia traced the forearm sprawled in front of her, feeling his coarse hair stand up against her fingertips. She examined each freckle by the early light spilling into the master suite. She could hardly believe that only a month ago she lived half the world away with no expectation that she would ever see him again. Now here she was, wrapped in his arms in the White House. She almost felt scared being this happy. The Gods could only be jealous of this. Not that everything was perfect though. The interview went well with mostly positive reviews, but more than a few people would always see them as glorified sinners who flaunted their immorality

Karen still had a prickly demeanor towards her, but she was opening up a bit more. Olivia doubted that there ever would be a singular breakthrough moment for either of them. However, she hoped that gradual steps would lead to a solid relationship in the future. Karen thankfully seemed to genuinely like her little sister and spearheaded the effort for her birthday party they would have that evening. Jerry returned from school that afternoon and they invited a few people over to help celebrate. All of Fitz's kids would be together for the first time. It all felt like a dream, only better. A part of her still waited for the other shoe to drop and letting go of that fear didn't come naturally to her. Feeling the rise and fall of his chest and the warmth of his flesh made all things seem possible.

She heard him take a deep breath as he woke up. He moved the arm she had been playing with to brush aside her hair and nuzzle her neck. "Mmmmm, good morning," he murmured between kisses. His other hand slid to her breast and pulled her tighter to him. She could already feel his bulge stiffen behind her.

She laced her fingers with his and replied, "Morning, Mr. President."

"Mmmhmmm, I like that, Mrs. President," he crooned as he nibbled on her ear.

She couldn't help but laugh. "I'm not that yet."

"Soon enough." He turned her head slightly to give her an exploring kiss. "You know, Susan from the Office of Protocol has been bugging me practically since you touched down at Andrews Air Force Base to ask whether you'd assume White House hostess duties."

"Really," she said only half paying attention as he began to gently rub her nipples.

"Yeah, it seems at this point she's more interested in a warm body than any controversy." Mellie stepped down from her official hosting duties when she first began her Senate run due to the Ineligibility Clause in the Constitution. For the past six months, a series of wives of prominent Republican politicians held the honor, but the Protocol Office was itching to have someone permanently in place.

"I don't even want to do those duties when I have to. There's been other single Presidents in office, who did they use?" She turned her body slightly and ran her fingers through his hair as he continued to kiss her face.

In between planting a series of kisses down her jawline and throat, he responded, "Daughters, cousins, Buchanan used his niece. Did you know that Buchanan lived with another man for 16 years?"

"I heard the rumors. I guess you're not the only President that had his share of controversies." She sharply took in her breath when his lips found her breast.

He lifted his head up and pleaded, "Just talk to her, please."

She really wished he'd stop this conversation and get back to business. "I'm not promising anything, but I'll talk to her." When he smiled and returned his attention to her breast she somehow felt tricked. "You're lucky that I like you, Mr. President."

"I'm _very_ lucky that you like me, Livvie," he agreed while his hand slipped between her thighs to find her warm center. He gently explored each of her folds as his lips made their way back to her own. He thrust his tongue into her mouth at the same he penetrated her with two fingers and rubbed her clitoris with his thumb. He moved his lips to her neck where he scrapped his teeth against her flesh. His hand became slick with her desire. She felt the evidence of his own needs pressed firmly against her ass.

Fitz adjusted himself and lifted her leg so he could enter her from behind. Livvie reached down and helped guide him into her. She closed her legs, making it a tight squeeze as he found his rhythm. She pushed back and forth and matched his thrusts, which were slow and steady. She reached behind and grabbed his ass, encouraging him to delve deeper. She found his left hand above her head and wove her fingers with his. He took her clit between his thumb and index finger and gently twisted and rubbed it as he increased his speed. She called out his name when she reached her climax and felt his release.

They didn't say anything for a few minutes; he was spent inside of her and his arm firmly wrapped around her with his hand cupping her breast. She unexpectedly started to chuckle. He looked down at her and smiled, "What's so funny, Livvie?"

"This is real. This is happening. It's amazing, isn't it?" She looked at him with such surprised delight it almost made him want to cry.

"You're amazing," he spoke softly. She gently stroked the side of his face and reached up to kiss him.

"I love you, Fitz," she stated simply.

He smiled again and replied, "I love you too, Olivia."


End file.
